Allergies to bunnies?Pease read the whole thing.?

Question

Ok so I might get a bunny, but the bigest thing holding me back is my sister's allergies. Me and my sister both have the usual pollen cats dogs dust allergies. If we are allergic to something we react almost immediantly. I am sure I am not allergic to bunnies because I have held them and pet them for hours and had no reaction. So what I wanted to know is what are the chances my sister will be allergic?

Answer 1

Well, What i would do is take your sister to a Rabbit and let her pet it, if she reacts it might not be the best to get a bunny.  Or you could just get a bunny and keep the cage in your room...and let your sis see it a couple times to see if she reacts to that. The chances your sister would be allergic if your not is a 50/50 chance....just try a couple of things if it doesn't work out...you can use alternative pets...if it does I'm glad....hope it does work.        :)

Answer 2

why not take her to a pet store and have her hold one?  i feel its pertty likely she will not be allergic but you never can tell.

Answer 3

How severe are the reactions?

If its just the coughs and sneezes, just go to the pet shop and ask if you can hold one. Just explain the situation, they'll be happy to oblige.

However, if the reactions are severe then what someone said earlier about talking to a doctor/specialist is the best thing as they will be able to carry out controlled exposure to gauge reaction.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Good advice already, but please do not get a pet store bunny, they are often poorly bred, not well handled and taken away from the mother too young. This can cause nervousness, agression and ill health.

The best place to look for a bunny is from a respectable breeder who can show you it's living conditions, let you meet it's parents etc. You can find a list of breeders in your area by contacting the ARBA if you are in the US or the BRC in the UK.

Also, if your sister is allergic you may want to try her with the Rex breeds as they have a special type of fur which many people with allergies can cope okay with. Good luck.

Answer 5

The chances of being allergic to a bunny are very slim. A lot of people who cannot have dogs and cats have rabbits instead because they are pretty non-allergenic. My mom is (literally) allergic to everything, but I raise rabbits and she is fine around the rabbits.

In general, I don't think the rabbit would be a problem for your sister. However, one or both of you may be allergic to hay which could be a problem since rabbits need at least a handful of hay daily. If you are allergic, it may be best to keep the rabbit in an outside cage so that the hay will not bother you and have your parent or other guardian give the rabbit his hay for the day.

You can also prevent allergies by cleaning regularly and sifting the rabbit's pellets to get rid of pellet dust.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Well you never know.  I am also allergic to the usual things and was able to have a bunny from birth till death without any problems.  The best way to find out is have your sister interact with one.  Also possible it to post ads asking people if you can baby sit their bunny or come over for a play date to see if you guys get allergic.  This can be a little difficult, but it is worth a try.  It would be a shame to get the bunny and then have to give it up as there are an overabundance of bunnies that people buy then throw away because they don't want them anymore.

Answer 7

Well, everyone is different, the only way to find out is to test it, but you shouldn't just grab a rabbit and give it to her and see what happens, because if she is really allergic, she could go into anaphylactic shock. i'd say talk to her and your parents about how you feel, maybe go see an allergy specialist or talk to a doctor or science teacher even about how to test it safely.