I think I'm developing an allergy towards my ferret! What can I do?

I own ferrets (and have for 25 years) and I have the same problem. If it's a contact dermatitis issue (and not an asthma issue) you can probably manage it with allergy products or something from the dermatologist. I find that in the winter when my skin is dry, I have a lot more trouble with the oils from the ferrets.

I've noticed that if I keep my skin moisturized, I don't have as much trouble. I tend to hold them across my left arm and I am currently sporting a nice, itchy rash. I'm certainly not getting rid of my ferrets because of a rash :) I use cortisone cream when it bothers me.

I have been able to cut down the problem by washing and moisturizing after holding them. Also, never go to bed without washing yourself off. I've had the worst reactions when I've been holding them and went straight to bed.

Like someone else suggested, it would be good to talk to a dermatologist. Find out exactly what you're allergic to. Also check out the ferret's environment ... what kind of litter do you use?

Sometimes people are allergic to one kind of litter but not another. What does the ferret sleep in? Do you wash the ferret's bedding weekly?(You're supposed to give them stuff like old tshirts and polar fleece to sleep in, not shredded rodent bedding or wood shavings.) If you're allergic to dust, keep the environment vacuumed, since the ferret's fur will pick up dust and transfer it to you.

As for giving a ferret a bath, how can you tell she's afraid of water? What does she do? I have ferrets who literally *scream* if I try to put them under running water, but if I fill the sink and gently lower them in, they aren't happy, but aren't scared, either.

There are anti-allergen shampoos for ferrets, or you could just try rinsing her off in warm water and drying her. If it's an environmental thing, that should rinse it off without stripping the fur of the oils. If you're allergic to the ferret oils, you'll have to do the "washing after handling and moisturize" thing like I do.

But first, you really should go and find out exactly what it is that's causing the rash. Good luck. I hope you don't have to give her away.

There are SO many homeless ferrets out there.

I own ferrets (and have for 25 years) and I have the same problem. If it's a contact dermatitis issue (and not an asthma issue) you can probably manage it with allergy products or something from the dermatologist. I find that in the winter when my skin is dry, I have a lot more trouble with the oils from the ferrets.

I've noticed that if I keep my skin moisturized, I don't have as much trouble. I tend to hold them across my left arm and I am currently sporting a nice, itchy rash. I'm certainly not getting rid of my ferrets because of a rash :) I use cortisone cream when it bothers me.

I have been able to cut down the problem by washing and moisturizing after holding them. Also, never go to bed without washing yourself off. I've had the worst reactions when I've been holding them and went straight to bed.

Like someone else suggested, it would be good to talk to a dermatologist. Find out exactly what you're allergic to. Also check out the ferret's environment ... what kind of litter do you use?

Sometimes people are allergic to one kind of litter but not another. What does the ferret sleep in? Do you wash the ferret's bedding weekly?(You're supposed to give them stuff like old tshirts and polar fleece to sleep in, not shredded rodent bedding or wood shavings.

) If you're allergic to dust, keep the environment vacuumed, since the ferret's fur will pick up dust and transfer it to you. As for giving a ferret a bath, how can you tell she's afraid of water? What does she do?

I have ferrets who literally *scream* if I try to put them under running water, but if I fill the sink and gently lower them in, they aren't happy, but aren't scared, either. There are anti-allergen shampoos for ferrets, or you could just try rinsing her off in warm water and drying her. If it's an environmental thing, that should rinse it off without stripping the fur of the oils.

If you're allergic to the ferret oils, you'll have to do the "washing after handling and moisturize" thing like I do. But first, you really should go and find out exactly what it is that's causing the rash. Good luck.

I hope you don't have to give her away. There are SO many homeless ferrets out there.

You should definitely see an allergist ( my son has very severe allergies, we found out that he was deathly allergic to latex by accident, he tried on a baseball helmet with latex rubber padding and had the same type of skin reaction which you described. ) s allergies were first diagnosed by an allergist after his first birthday when he played in his cake, his skin became red with little bumps that looked like mosquito bites. When we saw the doctor she told us we were very lucky because that is not a good sign and nothing to play with, we now carry epi pens everywhere we go.

I've included a source with some useful information. I really hope it's not your ferret. It took us a while to figure out why some dogs bothered our son and some didn't, when he was tested dogs weren't a major allergen for him but Frontline was, so you never know you have to look at all of the angles.

Good luck.

My guess is that it could be related to the bedding, litter or food. Since ferrets are fur bearing instead of "hair" bearing like cats and (most) dogs... often times it's not them per say... but their environment. Check out this link and scroll down to the header Thinking of Giving Away Your Farret?

And look at the fourth paragraph down. wuzzles.com/ferrets/documents/generalfer... Since she's not used to baths, maybe you could find a groomer who handles ferrets and give her a make-over. And while she's there, you can give her living area a good spring cleaning and see if that helps.My guess is that there is an item that she rolls in (maybe the shavings?

) that gets on her and when she plays with you... it irritates your skin. I hope you get this mystery figured out and get back to having fun with your baby girl! Good luck.

You can try using claritin or another type of allergy medication, but if it continues to get worse, you may be out of luck.

You could get an inexpensive anithistamine cream over the counter in a pharmacy as a temporary measure as these can heal mild allefgies.

I own ferrets (and have for 25 years) and I have the same problem. If it's a contact dermatitis issue (and not an asthma issue) you can probably manage it with allergy products or something from the dermatologist. I find that in the winter when my skin is dry, I have a lot more trouble with the oils from the ferrets.

I've noticed that if I keep my skin moisturized, I don't have as much trouble. I tend to hold them across my left arm and I am currently sporting a nice, itchy rash. I'm certainly not getting rid of my ferrets because of a rash :) I use cortisone cream when it bothers me.

I have been able to cut down the problem by washing and moisturizing after holding them. Also, never go to bed without washing yourself off. I've had the worst reactions when I've been holding them and went straight to bed.

Like someone else suggested, it would be good to talk to a dermatologist. Find out exactly what you're allergic to. Also check out the ferret's environment ... what kind of litter do you use?

Sometimes people are allergic to one kind of litter but not another. What does the ferret sleep in? Do you wash the ferret's bedding weekly?

(You're supposed to give them stuff like old tshirts and polar fleece to sleep in, not shredded rodent bedding or wood shavings. ) If you're allergic to dust, keep the environment vacuumed, since the ferret's fur will pick up dust and transfer it to you. As for giving a ferret a bath, how can you tell she's afraid of water?

What does she do? I have ferrets who literally *scream* if I try to put them under running water, but if I fill the sink and gently lower them in, they aren't happy, but aren't scared, either. There are anti-allergen shampoos for ferrets, or you could just try rinsing her off in warm water and drying her.

If it's an environmental thing, that should rinse it off without stripping the fur of the oils. If you're allergic to the ferret oils, you'll have to do the "washing after handling and moisturize" thing like I do. But first, you really should go and find out exactly what it is that's causing the rash.

Good luck. I hope you don't have to give her away. There are SO many homeless ferrets out there.

You should definitely see an allergist ( my son has very severe allergies, we found out that he was deathly allergic to latex by accident, he tried on a baseball helmet with latex rubber padding and had the same type of skin reaction which you described. ) His allergies were first diagnosed by an allergist after his first birthday when he played in his cake, his skin became red with little bumps that looked like mosquito bites. When we saw the doctor she told us we were very lucky because that is not a good sign and nothing to play with, we now carry epi pens everywhere we go.

I've included a source with some useful information. I really hope it's not your ferret. It took us a while to figure out why some dogs bothered our son and some didn't, when he was tested dogs weren't a major allergen for him but Frontline was, so you never know you have to look at all of the angles.

Good luck.

My guess is that it could be related to the bedding, litter or food. Since ferrets are fur bearing instead of "hair" bearing like cats and (most) dogs... often times it's not them per say... but their environment. Check out this link and scroll down to the header Thinking of Giving Away Your Farret?

And look at the fourth paragraph down. wuzzles.com/ferrets/documents/generalfer... Since she's not used to baths, maybe you could find a groomer who handles ferrets and give her a make-over. And while she's there, you can give her living area a good spring cleaning and see if that helps.

My guess is that there is an item that she rolls in (maybe the shavings? ) that gets on her and when she plays with you... it irritates your skin. I hope you get this mystery figured out and get back to having fun with your baby girl!

Good luck.

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