Allergies and indoors

[Jurassic Lagomorph]

I am trying to convince my parents to allow me to keep the rabbit (I am going to get one in the spring) in the basement. One of the main concerns is my moms allergies. I think if we just got like an air filter (or something) it wouldn't be an issue. I plan on brushing the rabbit everyday, so the rabbit itself wouldn't be an issue. The hay, however, might be a big problem. Any advice?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I am very allergic to cats, but not rabbits so that may work in your favor. I changed over to Orchard Grass as me and Timothy Hay were not very compatible either. Good luck.

 

[samoth]

I had pretty bad allergies when I was young, but have no issues with rabbits as an adult. I also use orchard hay, which is better on allergies than timothy.

My mom, who has pretty bad allergies, has stayed multiple days with me and my buns/hay and has likewise not had any issues at all.

 

[pets rabbit hay]

Hi Nancy would recommend the breed of Rex rabbit for people with allergies.
Rex rabbits or mini Rex rabbits have a short velvet like coats.
And your correct brushing will catch a lot of the hair.

Regarding the hay. Hays like Rye hay has the highest allergy rating (even on the asthma website to avoid). Timothy I'm not sure. Oaten hay has larger stems with larger oat grains so they tend to not affect allergy suffers as much as smaller grain hays like Rye hay.

Good luck

 

[April LD]

My son and I are both allergic to hay and grass - we just deal. I buy Timothy hay, orchard grass, sweet grass, alfalfa, and we mix them in a big plastic tub - my daughter usually as she has no allergies - it helps but feeding as many rabbits as I currently have it is hard. We take our allergy meds and carry on.

If you get a Rex be careful - they should not be "brushed" and much as "plucked" since their fur tends to be short brushing daily can affect their skin and coat - so I have read. I "pluck" my rex, also will dampen my hand (or I bought those dog gloves and pet my rabbits with it) and it seems to work just fine.

Hoping you can figure it out so you can enjoy the bun-bun experience.

 

[Jurassic Lagomorph]

Thanks for your help. I will ask my mom about orchard hay, but I don't konw if that will help. My mom is allergic to pretty much everything outside. lol. My mom has her heart set on a mini lop, so a rex wouldn't really be much of an option. but maybe I'll get lucky and a rabbit and hay won't bother her at all