allergic to degus?

Question
I recently gave my sons class 4 pet degus for their class pets.  One child is complaining of being allergic to the Degus.  Is this common?  Do degus have common "allergic" characteristics to other animals that may be more common to have allergies to?  cats, dogs etc.  It is also ragweed season where we live & I am wondering if this is a factor?

Answer
As I am not an allergist, I cannot guarantee this child is not allergic to them.  I can however tell you that I am one of the most hyper-sensitive/allergic people to most animals that are pets (I carry an epi-pen) but am able to safely breed degus.  We have 13 in our house right now and they are not a problem.  I specifically chose degus for our home as almost every other dander around gets to me.  Even when I've been scratched or nipped I had no trouble unlike EVERY OTHER animal I've contacted.  
For what it's worth, the ragweed (at least where I live and according to my allergist elsewhere) has been particularly bad this year.  I wouldn't beat yourself up over this, as I have never come upon anyone else being sensitive to them.  
You don't say what type bedding they have, but some folks do have issue with the dust that aspen shavings are so bad about...I use recycled newspaper pellets (found as cat litter) such as Good Mews or Yesterday's News.  They produce less dust and absorb the odor better.
I hope this helps,
Carol