Hamsters

Im getting a hamster today and just wonderd if anyone else has one and if they affect your asthma in anyway.

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Hi kerry-anne

Il let you know if i have any probs as i bought my daughter a hamster yesterday for her christmas present. No side effects yet.

By the way the little rodent kept me up all night running around in its wheel!!

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Guess will depend if your allergic to the furry crittter, the bedding or it's food (aren't they fed on seeds and nuts or stuff?) I know they recommend not keeping them in a bedroom if they may cause problems but everybodies allergies are different so who knows. If it makes you wheeze you may have to reconsider but you don't know till you try.

Personally think gerbils are cuter but still wouldn't have any furry pets in the house me and the kids are too allergic not worth the hassle we'll stick with not going near the outside ferrets and waving at the ducks in the park!

[KateMoss]

Hi Kerry Anne,

I used to have hamsters when younger and as a student. I don't think they affected me that much but I had to be carefull with the sawdust and made sure they were cleaned regulary to prevent mouldy food stashes building up.

Also the wee can smell a bit if not cleaned up either.

I hope you are OK with Nuts & seeds because that is the main dry food stuff.

They will eat most fresh foods too - NO Citrus or acidic stuf, no meat etc but sprouts, cheese, raisins etc they will like as a treat.

And don't keep it in your bedroom!

Kate

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Hi Kerry-Ann , I for one cannot even come close to ANYONE that has a hamster as I discovered recently when a friend came visiting, I took a MAYOR attack during their visit and again the second time they called by...only when we asked if they had come into contact with a cat or such like did we find out that they had just bought a two wee hamsters the previous week, the day before their first visit. They now go through a defurring process before entering my house, ie they do not go any where near their muched loved pets and they use a sticky tape kind of thing on their clothes so as not to bring hairs into the house

My reaction to all fur and feather creatures is extreme. real pest as I love animals and live in hope that I will get it under control so as to be allowed to have a DOG again.

Take care of yourself

Susy

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Im allergic to cats and dogs. Just got him bout hour ago and called him weezer. So far so good im ok fingers crossed xxxxx

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Good Luck, Kerry-anne I do hope you are OK.

[yaf_user681_33231]

Virtually all fur and feathered pets give me various degrees of episodes. Cats, by a huge margin, are the worst. A few years ago at the RBH, they did a follow up allergy skin prick test on multiple pollens and used my worst allergy, the cat, as a control standard. The reaction was so extreme that it exceeded the diameter of the largest template. The nurse even called over other staff to look at the size of the reaction.

The strange is that I am not allergic to ferrets as, a number of years ago, a friend use to keep ferrets and they are extremely playful animals, provided you don't let them bite. I never had one bad reaction from handling them, except a few painful bites.

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My Mum's asthma was triggered by the hamster we got as a pet when I was little. She started wheezing a lot and used to go downstairs & talk to the hamster when she couldn't sleep - not realising at the time that he was the cause! When she was allergy tested, they casually mentioned hamster as they were going along the different ones - the prick test came out as the worst one she had a reaction to.

I was tested for cat & dog & didn't have a reaction at all - which is handy as my boyfriend has 2 cats. Fingers crossed I don't seem to have a reaction to them.

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So far not so good ive been fine until tonight only had him 24 hours maybe im not ment to have a pet. My chest is hurting and breathing not so good will talk to my brother about taking him off my hands im gutted. Thanks for all your replys I should of got checked first to see if I was allergic. xxxx

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A bit OT but hamsters!

Never have any problems with any animals - suppose I am lucky and probably a bit immune as we have so many! Just allergic to cold weather, winter and damp!!!!!!!!

Anyway, hamsters - I have had one right from being 10 when my mum bought me one as the cat died and a kitten we found was too young to come straight away so she bought him to pacify me! However - one hamster led to another and every 2 - 3 years, they died, I was heartbroken and another hamster arrived and so it went on. I am now 32 and am in my first winter without one. When Hamish (my last one died) my husband (who has now taken over as pacifier said ""no more"" and stated he could not cope any longer with losing them (it now affects my 2 daughters aswell and the whole family falls apart every 2 - 3 years!)

I am missing the sound of the wheel and the chewing at the bars and the cute little face so much. Do you think anyone would notice if I just got another one regardless?

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kat123

Do you know what im attached already and im hoping i will be ok in the morning weezer is so cute dont want to have to let him go xxx