Could I be having a allergic reaction?

It sounds like it might even be a stress reaction. There's a lot going on in your life that could be causing you to flare up. If you're getting reactions to the rats, then you'll need to clean the cage really regularly, and it's a good idea to maybe have some baby wipes by the cage and wipe down their paws when you get them out.

Try and keep their claws really short and blunt with things like rocks and lava ledges in their cage for them to climb on. A lot of people, even without allergies, get raised bumps if their claws scratch them, because of tiny amounts of urine where they've been in the litter tray. So keeping the claws well maintained and wiping the paws down can help that a great deal.

I know of quite a few people that keep rats despite an allergy to animals, and it can be done in some cases. It helps if you know what about them is causing the allergy. Sometimes it's their litter, and changing to a different litter can help with the allergy.

Or brushing them or wiping them over with a damp flannel regularly to remove any loose hairs in the coat. Of course, if you usually use allergy medication and have stopped, that won't help. Give these things a go, use your medications, and see if that helps.

But like I said, it could be flaring up because of stress too.

If it is allergies, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling the rats. Also good allergy medications are available over the counter now (Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec).

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