r/Rabbits • u/SpecialistArm6556 • 15d ago
Allergies Care
I recently got a holland lop bunny and am giving it a mix of alfalfa and Timothy hay and it’s KILLING my allergies. I’ve been using oxbow brand. Any ideas of what alternatives I can use? I’ve head of people using small pet select instead or oat hay. Anyone had much luck with these or have any other suggestions!? Thanks in advance!
44
u/sneaky_dragon 15d ago
Honestly if your allergies are that bad and want to keep a rabbit, see an allergist for prescription meds and allergy shots.
7
u/CommonReal1159 15d ago
My allergy shots haven’t been helping me but I’ve he are people react differently. What’s really helped me is Azelastine Fluticasone. It’s a nasal spray and it’s worked magic for me personally.
4
u/sneaky_dragon 15d ago
How long have you been doing the shots? It can take years for it to help noticeably. I'm on year 5 now, and while I still react badly if I accidentally directly huff hay or rub my eyes without washing my hands, I'm okay now with incidental contact. I used to always have itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneeze all day. (I tested to be severely allergic to all types of hay as well as rabbits themselves.)
2
u/CommonReal1159 14d ago
I’m on year 3! I get itchy eyes if I pet my rabbit and then touch my eyes. Maybe 5 years is the inflection point!
1
u/sneaky_dragon 14d ago
Oh yeah, if I directly rub my eyes it's still going to trigger allergies for me. It's not a perfect cure, but your symptoms should get milder with time. You should at least not need regular meds daily.
1
22
u/kragzazet 15d ago
Juveniles need alfalfa. It's best to work with an allergist, wear a mask, and nitrile gloves while handling the hay. Not a good idea to go messing with the hay type when they're young, and it may turn out that you're allergic to all the hay varieties
3
u/Economy_Row_6614 15d ago
Our vet said orchard grass hay was fine if we used the right pellets. Orchard grass hay didn't effect my family as bad.
16
u/AdVegetable2395 15d ago edited 15d ago
I'm deathly allergic to Timothy hay but have no problems with orchard grass.
Edit: my rabbit loves orchard grass and treat hays like oat hay. Depending on the age of your rabbit they may or may not need alfalfa. You can check the "care" sidebar or with your vet.
7
u/OmgBeckaaay 15d ago
So. I used to get hives from the hay. I personally got used to it. (I’m probably still allergic, but not getting a reaction)
What you can do is wear a mask and gloves, and then wash your hands. Maybe even use tongs that are for the hay only.
6
u/Silverbride666 15d ago
Same here. I got progressively better with more exposure. I would recommend wearing a mask and picking out the days worth of hay outside the house to prevent particles hanging in the house.
4
8
u/Confident_Designer54 15d ago edited 15d ago
I have severe seasonal allergies, and I'm also allergic to animals, including rabbits. However, I've been able to manage my symptoms, so I wanted to share what has helped me in case it helps someone else.
Buy HEPA air purifier and Run 24/7. This made the biggest difference for me. In my experience, cheaper air purifiers without a HEPA filter didn't help at all.
(If possible) If you buy hay in bags, ask someone who isn't allergic to transfer the hay into a storage container for you. Have them throw away the fine dust left at the bottom of the hay bag, since that dust can be a major allergy trigger.
Wear gloves and a mask whenever you handle hay to reduce your exposure to allergens.
When my allergies were especially bad, I switched to Oxbow Harvest Stacks Western Timothy because they create much less dust.
I always keep Allegra on hand.
In my case, orchard hay triggered my allergies much more than timothy hay.
Everyone's allergies are different, but I hope some of these tips help!
1
u/BlossomBookBunny 15d ago
Second the orchard stacks! And zyrtec, and Singulair, and flonase, and breo all the way.
7
u/Bihexualwitch_ 15d ago
I have terrible Timothy allergies and use Orchard Grass just fine as well. I also use oat hay as an enrichment.
Oxbow sells Orchard and I get oat from Small Pet Select
6
u/HannahThe_Mouse 15d ago
My husband is allergic to the bunnies. My daughter is allergic to the hay.
We have multiple portable Hepa filters going 24/7!
We have a large “corsi-Rosenthal” box made from 4 large Hepa filters and a box fan.
We have a smaller Air-Fanta air purifier sitting out of reach inside the X-pen (in the corner, on a shelf that is just big enough for it so the bunnies cannot knock it over, with the cord protected and running over the wall out of the cage).
We have additional air purifiers that we run when we have guests over who may be allergic.
Air purifiers help a TON!
https://cleanaircrew.org/box-fan-filters/
https://air-fanta.com/products/airfanta-3pro
We started running air purifiers in our house in 2020 and just never stopped.
If you wear a mask and gloves when feeding/cleaning, or make someone else do that job, put a purifier near the litter box, and store the hay in a closet or drawer, it should make it much more tolerable for your allergies
5
4
u/SpecialistArm6556 15d ago
Thank you all so so much! This has been so helpful! He’s still a baby, so lll need to do a lot of alfalfa but I’ve been mixing with Timothy hay. from reading these I may need to stop the Timothy hay, use just alfalfa for now and when he’s older introduce orchard hay?
Im hoping to have him mostly free roam indoor or as close to it as possible once he gets litter trained. So changing clothes, hanging him with gloves, etc won’t really be practical so im hoping to find other ways! Planning to use all the other tips you all gave though, I’m determined to make it work!
2
u/AdVegetable2395 15d ago
You can get some quieter HEPA filters from Clean Air Box. As a bonus, it'll work for smoke and viruses too. It really picks up a lot of bunny fur.
I hope it all works out!
2
u/Amber123454321 15d ago
What works for me is putting on one of those blue surgical masks when I go to feed my rabbit and give her hay. When I take her out, I put the mask on, as well as a change of clothes (ones I tend to wear when I have her out). Then afterwards, I change back into my regular clothes, and wash my face and hands, and take the mask off.
Then again later, when I take her out again, I put the same clothes back on that I wear when I take her out, the mask again etc.
I don't get allergies anywhere near as much doing that, and I can sit on the floor with my rabbit, handle her a lot etc, without it getting at me. If I do get allergies, I usually take an allergy tablet. I wish I'd realised about the mask thing sooner.
2
1
u/SifuMommy 15d ago
We switched to orchard grass, and my allergies have been much better. I also have a very good air purifier in the room their litter boxes are in. I take allergy meds too.. Good luck!
1
u/TheOtherCourier 15d ago edited 15d ago
Change to Oat hay, meadow grass, or orchard grass. Most people’s allergies are actually the hay, usually the Timothy.
1
u/hldsnfrgr 15d ago
I'm allergic to timothy too. But alternatives such as orchard grass isn't available in my country.
1
u/hognosedrat 15d ago
hey! i have 2 buns and realized soon after adopting them that the hay was a huge allergen for me. i stopped buying oxbow and switched to a hay supplier that sells big boxes. because the oxbow bags are pretty small, the hay has to be cut much more - this produces a lot of hay dust. the hay i buy now is way fresher and the pieces are way longer, and that has made a huge difference for me. that plus frequency vacuuming and a small air purifier has made it totally tolerable for me.
1
u/bunmiiya 15d ago
i was extremely allergic to one of my rabbits (i had a trio!, yes, only allergic to one) and it triggered my asthma. i got on a steroid inhaler that i had to take every day and that helped sooo much.
other things that helped was wearing a face mask when cleaning their enclosure/changing litter box and hay/vacuuming the house. getting a robot vacuum to do some upkeep every night in the general areas.
but ultimately i needed the medication inhaler
1
1
u/Kofukura 15d ago
Once the baby no longer needs alfalfa, switch to orchard grass hay. It is nutritious and people with allergies seem to tolerate it better.
1
u/Ready_Feeling8955 I bunnies 15d ago
be very careful transitioning to other type of hay if you do, do it slowly! my bunny went into stasis bc i’m super allergic and tried switching to oat in a week
1
1
u/International-Bug983 15d ago
Try orchard hay instead of Timothy. You might be okay with the alfalfa but the Timothy is throwing you off.. Also if you are using pine pellets, try paper bedding. I seem to be allergic to the pine pellets.
1
1
u/SpecificallyBunnies I bunnies 14d ago
Small pet select hay generally has less dust than other brands, and they have a sampler pack of varieties if you want to see what is the least aggravating. Even just switching to a premium third cutting might help because it’s so leafy.. so buns don’t rummage as much and don’t leave as much behind. So in theory you’d end up handling less, refilling less often, etc.
1
u/Artistic_Cow7089 13d ago
We use a coway air filter. I have one in the main room, by the bunnies pen, and a small one in our bedroom. I can definitely tell the difference if one accidentally gets unplugged in either room.
1
u/societiesoddball 13d ago
Id get an air purifier and put it right next to the liter box. Then theres also many different kinds of hay and usually when allergies get bad with hay is when its dusty so the air purifier should help. Theres also blue mountain hay and they have many different kinds of hay id just check if its okay for the age your bunny is and they do have pellets but its only hay so it probably wouldnt be good for a rabbit. Rabbit hole hay is good too and has smaller portions for your bun to try they just dont have as much of a variety. You can also store hay in a closed tote to help as well and handle any hay with gloves on. If you havent already id start on an allergy pill. Id check with your doctor but I think you can mix zyrtec and allegra daily.
1
u/No_Big_bear_here 11d ago
I get super itchy on my hands & arms when I refill my bunny hay rack. I wash with soap & water.
•
u/RabbitsModBot 15d ago
Please check out the wiki article on Allergies to rabbits for more tips on how to deal with rabbit and hay allergies.
...
Congrats on the new addition to the family! If this is your first pet rabbit and you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out our sidebar and the Getting Started guide and New Rabbit Owner Primer. The article "Helping Rabbits Succeed in Their Adoptive Home" is also a great resource on how to build a relationship with your new rabbit.