Hairless for Allergies?

Question
Hello!

I currently have 6 rats, all adopted from a local rescue. At the time, I wasn't allergic to them, but it's getting progressively worse. Today, I pet my girl rat, and broke out in a rash half-way up my arms. I'm hoping to tough out the reactions until the rats pass, but I was wondering if hairless rats might have a less allergenic reaction? I've seen a few, but never gotten to handle them myself. I was hoping you might either know, or be able to direct me to a source that can help?
Thank you for your time.

Answer
I'm sorry for the late response.  I was trying to get some more info for you from some people who have more experience in this area.  I can tell you that most people who own rats do have skin irritations that is due to rats urine.  In this case it wouldn't matter whether they are hairless or furred rats.  You can lessen the chances of skin reActions by wearing long sleeves.  I am still waiting to get information on whether allergic reactions can be caused by anything in rats other than urine so you should hear back from me shortly on that.

Okay, I found out that rats DO in fact have dander, like cats do, so if a person is allergic to dander then that would be a problem with furred rats.  And of course hairless rats do not have dander.   Rats saliva may also cause allergic reactions in some people.   

However, the most common allergic reactions for most people come from their urine.  Therefore, you would have to identify what specifically you are allergic to.  Perhaps you can identify where you might have access to a hairless rat, perhaps a local breeder, and spend some time handling her to see if you have a reaction.

I hope this is helpful to you.  Please let me know if you have any more questions.