Allergy to hedgehog?

[Morel3etterness]

I noticed after handling my hedgehog for a couple hours after coming home from a long vacation, I started to get all of these rashes. They just seemed to come out of no where. Has anyone else had this problem owning a hedgie? What can you do about it?

Hes very clean I might add.

[Stephanie76]

I am allergic to one of my hogs. I hold her and break out in little hives (not a huge breakout, it is pretty localized) and a little redness occurs. Some might recommend bathing your hog, but this hasn't helped in my case. It is such a minor inconvenience and is only bothersome for a bit, so I just get over it.

[funkybee]

I know that when I first got Milo I would get a small rash wherever he pricked me, nothing too bad though and it stopped happening afer the first few weeks. Maybe if you go away for a while and come back its like your skin has to re-adjust again...or something. But I do know that the pet dander that causes people to be allergic to pets does not actually come from the fur its from saliva. When an animal licks its fur the saliva gets on it, thats why shedding animals are really bad for allergy sufferers. So hedgehogs are not exactly hypoallergenic if you are handling them.

[FiaSpice]

It does for me. Litchi is the worst. I get all red with those white-ish bump that burn like h*ll. Tangelo does that to me but in a much less sever way. When they are just out from the bath it's less irritating, but still. I just wash my hand thoroughly and sometime I put Benadryl cream on the parts where I have a rash to help with the burning/itching.

I also get watery eyes (like with my cat allergies) when I "fight" with Litchi to cut her nail, again, with Tangelo I almost feel nothing, just like I'm allergic to only certain cats!

[leannem]

Sadly, I'm also allergic to my hog But like Stephanie, I just got over it. lol. I get hives anywhere his spikes scratch my skin, even just a little. The palms of my hands get really itchy also but no hives, just dryness from itching. I've found that just making sure I have a long sleeve shirt on when I cuddle with him helps. I don't end up getting the hives, just little bit itchy and some redness that goes away within 15 minutes or so. The hives usually last almost an hour. Hand sanitizer also helps if you put it on immediately after handling. I'm almost positive it's from his saliva. I find i get it the worst when he pokes me with his lower back quills and the one's right behind his head, which are the 2 places he usually annoits.

[nessariel]

I'm uber super allergic to grass (and every other pollen), which sucks cause it's EVERYWHERE. Among a million other symptoms, it gives me a rash wherever it touches me, but the pollen in the air also causes me to get a rash on my hands come spring time. What I do is take an over the counter allergy medicine daily (they're safe to take on a regular basis) and then spot-treat with an OTC hydrocortisone cream.

It's possible that this could be a reaction to something else entirely, and it just happens to be showing up on your hands. Now is about the time when a bunch of fun pollens come out to play. Do you know if you have any other allergies?

[krbshappy71]

I only break out when Whyte actually pokes me, bristles up. Oh, which would be EVERY time.

No reaction to Riley as I don't think he knows how to huff. Ok I admit it, I'm in love with a hedgehog.

[Immortalia]

I get them too. Sometimes on my hands, but it's usually localized to the other parts of my body that might have accidentally been poked while he's curled up on me or next to me. So sometimes, my thigh would get poked while he sleeps next to me, and it'll get red and itchy, and I do my best to ignore it and it'll go away. Some sort of cold compress helps too.

[hedgielover]

There have been a few times when I've gotten really bad itchy rashes on my fore-arms. Man does that hurt! it lasted a good day and a half. I think the cause was either Quigley or dog saliva. All I tried was aloe and goldbond allergy cream neither worked.

[cloverandtimmy]

I am allergic to hedgehogs. For me, it is a reaction to their quills when they poke me. Apparently, for me, it is due to their self-annointing and saliva. It's not that much of a worry though. It get hives and itch for half an hour at the most- like on my hands or on my stomach if they have been lying on my belly while I watch tv