Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Allergies and intolerances

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

have allergic ds, would like a pet, please tell me about guinea pigs if you can !

34 replies

cheeryface · 04/06/2008 14:39

i desperatly want a dog really but ds2 is allergic to them. there is a chance he might tolerate a yorkie or a poodle but i am too worried to try it out.

seems o.k with hamsters (have had school hamster here for a week) but they are boring!

so, guinea pigs ?

no nothing about them so would be glad of any advice. thanx

OP posts:

Original poster

cheeryface · 04/06/2008 15:11

also, i need to know if i could have one outside even though i haven't any grass. it's just a yard.

OP posts:

chopchopbusybusy · 04/06/2008 15:45

We have two guinea pigs. You have to keep at least two together or they get lonely. They are very timid and can be difficult to catch, although once you have caught them they are usually happy to be held and stroked. They need daily attention and do poo a lot so their cage needs to be freshened up once a day and cleaned out completely once or twice a week. We keep ours inside although they have a run in the garden which we use when the weather is nice. You could keep them outside in a hutch even if you don't have grass, but they do need some exercise. If you are going to let them out in the house I'd say they'd have to be in a contained area, so you can get hold of them again. They are very cute and like to jump around and make lots of noise. Can't think of any more, but let me know if you have a specific question.

PrimulaVeris · 04/06/2008 15:56

Careful if your ds has pet hair allergies - those who are allergic to dog and certainly cat hair are often allergic to guinea pig hair. Though hamsters seem to be OK for most on the allergy front.

Original poster

cheeryface · 04/06/2008 16:06

i would be keeping them outside as i don't really have room inside so i suppose if ds2 is allergic to them it won't be too much of a disaster.

if i had a hutch with a run attached would i need to put wood chippings or something down in the run? it would be on a hard yard floor otherwise.

are there different types of guinea pig ? if so which would be best ?

would they sit on your knee and be stroked like ?

OP posts:

PrimulaVeris · 04/06/2008 17:01

I don't keep them (lots of my dc's friends do!) - they will be fine outdoors spring and summer but not in winter - will need a shed or something with natural light. They do need a run - ideally on grass but I think a yard would be OK - hopefully some other mumsnetter may advise better.

They LOVE being stroked! They are gorgeous and very very cuddly

I'd avoid long-haired variety as high-maintenance fur brushing required!

May be worth posting this under pets to get some more advice

Fennel · 04/06/2008 17:04

We have guinea pigs - bought one a year ago, she arrived pregnant, now we have 10 . They are cute, though I wouldn't say they were more interesting than hamsters (we have had hamsters too). Ours live outside for most of the year, they particularly like to graze in a pen on the lawn.

Ours are cuddly, sociable. easy.

Original poster

cheeryface · 04/06/2008 17:59

where would i buy them ? and should i buy baby ones ?

thanx for all the advice!

OP posts:

stirlingmum · 04/06/2008 20:36

What is your ds's allergic reaction to dogs?
There are two types of allergies. The dander (skin flakes/fur in the air) and saliva.
Does it cause skin/eye irritation or asthma??

I ask because if it is a dander allergy, my friends dd is the same and they now have a fox terrier (known for their anti-allergy status as they do not malt, same as poodles) and she is completely fine with it.

If it is a saliva allergy (as my dd has) that is more difficult to overcome.

Also, on guinea pigs, we got 2 for the dc as we couldn't have a dog and I developed a bad reaction! I know I used to be fine with them but since having dd have developed this allergy. My chest was very tight and I had mild breathing problems. We had to give guinea pigs back!

Apparently boy guinea pigs are worse than girls because, the allergy is caused, not by the fur as many people believe, but something that is released into the air from their urine!!

Maybe you could have a trial run with a guinea pig.

Hope that helps

Original poster

cheeryface · 04/06/2008 21:28

i'm not sure whether it's the saliva or not. we have never had our own dog but his gran had a german shepherd and he came out in a really bad rash with it.
he has the most horrendous hayfever too !

we would dearly love a dog but i know that if i got a less allergenic one and then we still had to re home it, it would break his heart.

at least with guinea pigs they'd be outside so i can't see them being too much of a problem.

OP posts:

christywhisty · 04/06/2008 23:50

DS has a few allergies. We have 2 boy guinea pigs and he is fine . He has come back from a friends house with a dog in a bit of a state and we looked after a neighbours cat. He came up positive for allergy to cats but not to guinea pig in recent tests. That was after we had the gps for about 2 months.

DH also has a lot of problems with dogs, cats , horses and even out little robo hamsters, but seem okay with gps.

Original poster

cheeryface · 05/06/2008 08:09

sounds promising !
ds tested positive to dogs but not cats. doctor said that doesn't mean he defo isn't allergic to cats tho and more people react to cat than dog apparently.
don't know about guinea pig though, it was never mentioned.

does anyone know where i should look to buy a guinea pig ? is a pet shop a bad idea ?

OP posts:

Fennel · 05/06/2008 09:19

Choose your pet shop with care. If possible get gps that have been born not in a shop - they tend to be much less nervous.

I always try and get small animals not from pet shops - I've had some from adverts in newsagents or Loot or freecycle. But if you have to use a pet shop make sure the animals seem not too jittery.

bluefox · 05/06/2008 09:26

We have kept gps for years. Most people seem to like babies but our last one (got from a farm type place that bred them)was larger and older. Felt like she had been overlooked and nobody wanted her .

Original poster

cheeryface · 05/06/2008 11:15

have spoken to a mum at school, she got hers from pets at home.

i have had a look for any being advertised without any luck

don't want jittery ones!

OP posts:

meep · 05/06/2008 11:18

My brother was hugely allergic to guinea pigs - his face would swell up like a balloon if he was near them! he could cope with pet mice/rats/hamsters/cats and even dogs.

cheeryface - there was a thread on here yeasterday about pets at home selling really poorly hamsters that would die within a couple of weeks - I will try to find the link..........

Fennel · 05/06/2008 11:20

We keep breeding ours for fun, as we know so many families with children of a good age to have guinea pigs. We have had 8 babies this month and a waiting list for homes. They are very cute.

The stud guinea pig came from a Pets at Home refuge section - for unwanted pets . He is lovely. Sociable, not jittery. We didn't keep him as we don't want an adult male around permamently but he was fine.

meep · 05/06/2008 11:21

here: pets at home

MsBombastic · 05/06/2008 11:42

Hello cheeryface.
Please make sure you do a proper test, i.e. your dcs spend some time with guinea pigs, before you buy them.
Both my dcs have pet allergies and you can't always predict them! My ds doesn't react to my friends long haired cat, but we have investigated both Devon Rex and Burmese cats as potential pets, both of which are meant to be least allergenic, and within an hour he had streaming nose, sore eyes etc.

My ds (who doesn't appear to have asthma but does react to some chlorine swimming pools etc. ) held her cousins guinea pig for a while and her breathing went strange, with extra breaths.

It would be unfair to keep them in garden and then not be able to let your ds cuddle them for any length of time. So please do some considerable cuddling first.

There is a product 'petal cleanse' which is supposed to help reduce any effects.

Also (you can tell that i have been down similar routes of research as you) if you look on net you will find that many people DO react to hamsters.

But also, with both guinea pigs and hamsters you have to think about the hay/straw/grain aspect as some children (and adults) who are sensitive can react to them, or the dust they give off.

Sorry, don't mean to sound pessimistic - I hope you find an answer (we now have a tortoise! Expensive, has to live in vivarium, not very cuddly but no reactions!)

MsBombastic · 05/06/2008 11:43

My dD (who doesn't.....

jazzandh · 05/06/2008 11:55

I would also caution checking carefully first. I am alllergic to cats and dogs and find guinea pigs one of the worst animals.

If I touch a guinea pig hands get dermatitis, and if I accidentally touch my face before washing will come up in hives. Difficult to control with children I would say!

They are cute though - like cuddly beanbags!

Original poster

cheeryface · 05/06/2008 20:48

ds2 has managed to get to hold a guinea pig today. not for very long though.

trouble is, i hadn't thought, he's on a lot of antihistamines and stuff for hayfever at the moment and has itchy skin and eyes on and off so don't think i could really judge properly.

but, really, how bad can it be if they are living outside ? surely i can't harm ds2 like that ?

can i ?

OP posts:

stirlingmum · 05/06/2008 22:41

I know pets at home can have a bad name but we got our gps from there and, after I had the bad reaction, we called them (24 hrs later) and they were more than happy to have them back and refund our money!

Cheery, if the reaction is like mine, poor breathing etc, it can still bother them when they are outside. I certainly wouldn't want any sat outside my back door as they cause a reaction so soon after being near to them.

singersgirl · 05/06/2008 22:49

Where are you, Cheeryface? I have two very gorgeous, nearly 4 week old baby guinea pigs looking for a home. They are both males - I've sexed them - so no unwanted pregnancies.

Our boys would love to keep them but we don't have space for 4, particularly since we'd need to neuter them or house them separately from their mum and (now no longer fertile) dad.

singersgirl · 05/06/2008 22:50

Oh, have just seen all the allergy stuff properly. I agree with others that you need to test carefully. They are gorgeous though.

Eelpie · 05/06/2008 22:55

I am allergic to them, and dogs, cats (all fur really) DP bought one and I rode it out for the years he was with us but I will never buy one for DD. His fur irritated my excema and he made me sneeze and wheeze. Please think carefully. I managed to grow up with just birds and fish as pets and thought they were great. Perhaps he would like something unusual like stick insects he can freak the local girls out with

Flip

1 2