allergies to rat urine

Question
HI Sandra,

it's Kit and Badger again.  thank you for your answers so far. :)  I insisted that it was him handling mocing my stuff aorund, the dust getting kicked up (he's still rearranging my stuff, gettign into everything--I'd be sneazing too, but I'm not, as I'm mostly out of the house)

He claims it's not from my stuff, but from Badger.  he started sneazing when he bagain movingmy stuff in the first place.  he sneazes quite often, sounding of full sinus, sometimes his eyes water, and he doesn't handle badger much, but badger has scratched him and he broke out in a very tiny rash over the scratch.

I'd liek to try another shampoo, but I'm always afraind of the soap getting in Badger's eyes, I uses teerless baby shampoo.  Do you think that helps in any way to rid the dander or should I switch to that dog shampoo and not worry about sopa in the eyes?

He says he really like Badger and doesn't want to see him go.  I do think that he does want me to see him suffer though as he's pretty stubborn about allergy meds and giving him supplements, says he shouldn't have to change for the rat. I've got to do the change through Badger.

And I'm noticing the strong smell in the closet, even when I clean the cage daily (there's no way for the air to circulate in there (a 5x7 foot space).

thanks again,
Kit


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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi Sandra,

I have a very loving male rat named Badger, he's about 11 months or so, and I recently moved into a studio apartment in the city with my boyfriend.  who now we've found out is alergic to Badger.  It's most likely Badger's urine.

We've moved Badger to the closet (which is in the bathroom) as the living room is the bedroom.  there is no other place to put Badger to keep my boyfriend from being miserable.

I've even got to the point of giving Badger baths nearly every day (poor boy thinks I'm going to drown him every time, he hates his baths) and cleaning his cage every other day (to now everyday), my shavings fund is being eaten up rather quickly by doing this, considering Badger doesn't mess his cage up that bad. and now I can't set him loose in the tiny studio, I have to let him run around outside in the park and watch out for dogs, large squirrels and birds.

My boyfreind is not about to take allergy pills or go to the doctor and get a Rast test. and he's threataning me to get rid of my beloved lil guy, what are my options?

is there anything I can feed Badger that will cut this down? Vitamins? a special type of bedding perhaps? a shampoo?  Particular brand names that could help out? any sort of vitamin I could give my boyfriend as well to help him out?
-----Answer-----
Can you please give me a list of the allergy symptoms that your boyfriend is suffering from?

Is he really suffering from an allergy to the rat, or something else in the house? It's really hard to pin-point an allergie's cause and many times the animals are the first ones to be blamed.

Did your boyfriend have any allergy symptoms before you and Badger moved in with him?

Allergies to the urine are not uncommon and manifests itself as red, itchy, welts on the skin caused by small scratches from the rat's claws. Your boyfriend would have to be handling Badger in order to be allergic to the urine. Wiping badger's feet with a wet cloth when you take him out of his cage to play with him is all that is required to prevent this allergy from occurring. And clipping the claws to prevent scratches.

It sounds like the allergy is caused by dander from the rat's coat in much the same way that people have allergies to dogs and cats. Instead of bathing Badger every day how about wiping him down with the bathing clothes that are made for dogs. 8in1 Perfect Coat Bath Wipes is what I use. Used a couple times a day will keep down the dander.

Does your boyfriend like Badger at all, or has he expressed a definite dislike for rats? He may be using his allergy, and the suffering that goes along with it, to force you to make a choice between him, or the rat. It's really quite easy to take allergy meds, but he may want you to see him suffer to help you make your choice?

"Nu-Greens", a green food, contains nutrients that would cut down the dander in Badger's coat.

Bedding can also be a culprit. I found that I was allergic to pine bedding when I had gerbils, before I got into rats. Pine bedding, or any bedding that was dusty, made my eyes itch and burn like crazy. I switched to cloth; ripped up bed sheets, pillow cases, baby blankets, and t-shirts.

Shampoo? A hypo-allergenic shampoo for dogs should work.

Your boyfriend could take the same green food, "Nu-Greens", to help balance his immune system, and/or a homeopathic remedy to alleviate his symptoms.

Feel free to ask more until your problem is resolved.

spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com

Answer
Hi Kit, and Badger.

I'm sorry that you are having this awkward relationship between your boyfriend and Badger. It's good to hear that he does like Badger though. I hope you understand that I can't do anything about how you and your boyfriend are getting along because of this. I hope it all works out for the three of you.

Sounds like you just moved in, and, uh, no pun intended, but could your boyfriend give the relationship a chance? To tough it out, and take an allergy med, until the dust literally settles? Might take a couple of months? From what you've said I'm pretty sure that the dust is the biggest part of the problem. I've seen studio lofts and it would seem that right now the dust is in the air in every room of the house. Your boyfriend is not going to get away from it. You might consider a Bionair Air Cleaner on a temporary basis.

The closet is not a good place to be keeping Badger. It's that confined space that is holding the urine smell and it not good for the closet and it's not good for Badger. On cage-cleaning day might I suggest this deodorizer, or two?

1. After cleaning the cage bottom, damp dry it and scrub the inside with baking soda. Let it stand for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Dry the cage bottom.

2. Put white vinegar in a spray bottle, put hydrogen peroxide in a separate spray bottle. Damp dry your cage bottom. Spray one onto the sides and bottom, doesn't matter which order, let sit for a few minutes and rinse. Damp dry. Now spray the other, let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse. Thoroughly dry the cage bottom.

What is the bedding that you are using?

Bathing Badger. The pH of a rat's skin is different then the pH of a human's skin. The human shampoo may cause skin problems for Badger in the long run. You can use the hypo-allergenic shampoo for dogs, or if you really need to bath him every day, you can use an oatmeal shampoo for dogs. There might even be a safe hypo-allergenic spray for dogs out there? Something that can be sprayed on the coat on a daily basis that would keep the dander down.

Badger would probably be happier if you just washed his face and head with a damp cloth and avoided getting soap or running water over his head. The rest of his body can be shampooed and rinsed well.

spazrats