Hay Fever

[Lmoll]

I have a two year old lionhead rabbit. I've been giving him timothy hay since I got him, and he loves it. I recently moved in with my boyfriend, and after a week or so of him having miserable allergic reactions, we realized it's not the bunny himself - it's the hay. He has terrible hay fever (itchy, watery eyes, constant sneezing, and if it gets too dusty, his throat starts to itch and close up.)

I can't move the rabbit to a different room in the house, as we live in a cooperative with a bunch of people (29, to be exact,) and we have a "pets in your own room" rule. I can't figure out what to do. I know my bunny needs hay to be healthy, and my boyfriend can't be around the stuff without sneezing his head off. We've tried out timothy hay and oat grass, to no avail. I even tried buying timothy hay pellets, but the rabbit doesn't seem interested in eating them.

If all else fails, I may have to find my bun a new home. It would break my heart, but I'm running out of ideas - my boyfriend can't keep sneezing, and I can't cut hay out of the bun's diet without his health being compromised.

Help me, please?

 

[ijRoberts]

Wow, what a terrible situation! I wish I had some more advice for you other than possibly finding a new place to live? I don't know if that was an option, but it seems as if the bunny and your boyfriend had their own spaces - the problem would be solved.

Good luck! =(

 

[jewell]

I would just stop giving him the hay and stick to a good quality pellet that would offer him all or most of his nutritional needs. If you want to add variety just slowly introduce him to some veggies.

 

[JimD]

You might try timothy hay cubes.
My buns get them as a treat. At times I've had to give them to Benji instead of hay.
I buy the Kaytee brand.

You could also consider a HEPA filter. I have one and it's amazing how much dust/fur/odor it captures.

Ironically, one of my bunnies (Benji)is very sensitive to hay dust and I have to be very careful of the hay I buy.
Most of the hay I get is ordered online from KleenMamas or SweetMeadow. Second or third cut are the least dusty.
Oxbow and Kaytee are way too dusty.
KleenMamas third cut is virtually dust free and the buns LOVE it, however it won't be available for several weeks yet.

 

[tonyshuman]

I have heard of giving hay cubes instead of loose hay, but that would worry me a lot. They don't have the long strands that really help a bunny's gut, so you'd have to monitor him closely. You could also keep only a small amount of hay in his litterbox, and keep the rest outside, and refill the hay often.

We had a batch of hay from a local farmer that made my boyfriend's allergies go out of control. We switched back to the store brand (10x as expensive) and he's fine. Another thing that helps is a HEPA filter. Unfortunately, bunnies need hay, so it's very difficult to live with bunnies if you're very allergic to hay. When we have families come in to the shelter looking for a rabbit, I always ask if anyone is allergic to hay, because the rabbit will need that. If someone in the family is allergic, I say that a rabbit may not be the pet for them.

 

[Lmoll]

I got the bun long before the boy and I moved in together, and we never really stayed at my place overnight or anything, so there was never any long-term exposure before now. We went out and bought him some claritin, and ive been taking the hay outdoors and shaking it out before feeding the rabbit, keeping it in an airtight container, all that for the past few days and things seem to be going much better. Crossing my fingers that this will work for a while, before we can do something more permanent (finding our own place, having a room for the bun and a room for the boy, or something)

thanks for all the input. I didn't want to have to choose between the two, and things seem to be workin out (knock on wood.)

 

[tonyshuman]

I hope that works. I know you can't choose between the bunny and the boy. Claritin is quite good and can be gotten cheaply. I assume if he is highly allergic to the hay, seasonal allergies must be pretty difficult too, so it can help with that as well. Good luck!

 

[kirbyultra]

My husband has had terrible allergies to the oxbow hay we got for the buns since feb/mar this year. worst is overnight and he wakes up practically gasping for air. We have an apt so he can at least escape to another room during the day but a week ago we got a hepa filter and ran it in our bedroom and it has helped a lot! He feels much better with it running on a low setting all night.