Allergic Reaction

[Stina]

Hi. New Here, but we have had Gemini, our BTS, for about 7 years now. I got my kids reptiles because we seemed to be allergic to cat and dogs. All has been fine until this year. My daughter always wears a hoodie around the house and Gem, is always in it, she comes out now and then and crawls on my daughters shoulders to see what is happening. Now the last 4 times my daughter has held Gem, she breaks out in real big hives. We first thought it was the bedding because lately my daughter sneezes when cleaning the cage, but I took over cleaning it, and still when she holds Gemini she breaks out whereever Gem climbs on her skin; arms, neck, legs...how can she develop an allergy to Gemini after 6 1/2 years? And has anybody ever heard of such a thing? It is killing my daughter, Gem is her baby.

[Jeff]

I wish I could help, but all I can really say is that over the years on the forum, a few people have thought they were alergic to their BTS, and every time it seems that eventually they figure out that it was something other than the skink.

I hope that is the case for you too.

[kenn]

Allergic reactions can occur after many years of intense contact.
It doesn't mean for example that if you aren't allergic to birddust, you won't be for the rest of your life.

The best way is for example to avoid contact (EVERY!) for 6 weeks. And then challenge it.
(That's the way how it's done for dogs/cats with food problems...)

Goodluck!

[Linnea]

hello.

yes, reptile allergy exists, but true such is not usual at all. theres usually another problem.

of course it is possible to develop an allergy at any time in your life. its how it happens, always. you have to have had contact with your allergen for the body to remember it and start attacking the next time.

first you meet the allergen in any form, and youre perfectly fine with it, but the next time you start feeling itchy, and if you continue to meet the allrgen it will intensify over time. this can take anything from 2 actual meetings with the allergen to well, any number of years.

myself im very allergic to a mountain of things, so i know the situation very well. the bedding, sneezign while cleaning it, is more often related to having very sensitive mucus membranes as allergics usually get after a while, especially in pollen season. the dust are so fine particles, and it gets in very very easy.
it is good that you took over that, because it wont get any better imo. openg up the windows and hovering while your daughter is outdoors is the way to go, dont let her in the house for 2 hours when cleaning so the dust can lay down. this way she wont be overly sensitive afterwards, less likely to be more allergic.
switching to another substrate may not help as it also collects dust.

as for the hives, there is a simple solution. stop handling your reptile. its really hard for a kid to do so, i suppose, but its a way you can keep the animal and not be afraid of anything getting much worse. you dont even have to give the reptile away.

make sure to clean out the shed. reptiles dont sweat/smell or produce anything like it, and they dont have any dandruff. what they do have is a substance for the skin to come off easily, as well as the leftover shed containing this substance. this is what reptile allergics can react to. saliva as well.

what more? well, they have sharp little nails. and what happens when they climb over the girl? well, small small holes on the skin appear. normally allergens dotn get through the skin without an open source. these lead to red marks on me, but i dont break out in hives, but i see how that is very very likely that whatever shes allergic to gets into the skin. buy good lotion to make sure your daughter has a good skin condition, dry skin is open to allergens and react easier. getting a long sleeved cotton shirt of some sort may help not to pierce the skin also.

heres my ultimate solution. you either stop handling and live happily - wearing gloves when needed. or you try giving your reptile a bath after letting it shed by itself for 2 days. clean the cage after every shedding. file the nails so theyre round instead of pointy so he cant break through the skin even a little.

cats, horses and guinea pig allergy is not like other allergies. they are usually the backdoor to developing various allergies, even if you show little or no reaction to them.

the hoodie is not a great type of clothes for allergic people. it collects particles easily, even if washed it wont get out. has your daughter been in contact with cats or dogs the past 6 months when using one of her hoodies? like at a friends house. if so, its guaranteed to contain enough amount of allergens to give her a reaction, even if washed 10 times.

some general information about how to overcome or help allergies get better. there are many theories on why we get them, among the more popular we live cleaner and thus our immune systems become overactive with nothing to do, sometimes reacting to the wrong things. people who grow up with slight allergies to dogs and cats can become better by keeping them, by for some it is a very dangerous approach (like for me) when they develop allergies in a wide range due to becoming more sensitive.
im not sure what its called in english, but the hyposens program where you vaccinate yourself against allergies is a lifesaver. its the best decision i ever made as a kid, i think. sure, i got tired and my arm hurt, but now i can be outside in summer instead of at a hospital theoretically, if you find out exactly what your daughter is allergic to, a vaccination is possible, and moderate results can be enough to live with it.

also, keep allergy meds close by. breaking otu in hives is not dangerous, unless it becomes wounds, but if she shows asthmatic response to the actual lizard, something is odd, and the allergy needs to be investigated. the regular cetirizin or kestine allaergy pills are in no way dangerous to take (unless you combine them with alcohol),and they require no recipe from the doctor to buy. i eat one every day, for the past......well, life. i recommend kestine for an adult, since you dont get tired at all. ask at the pharmacy if it is also okay with kids, or if cetiricin is the better option. as for lotions, go with somethibng without perfume, beign allergics and all im sure you got this under control.

sorry for spelling mistakes. a bit hard to type with my current keyboard.

[Stina]

Thank you for all the suggestions, and Linnea, that might be the case with my daughter's hoodie, we are giving that a try first then on to everything else. I really hope it works. Gemini, thinks he can read, when my daughter Liana is on the computer, Gem, sits on it and her head moves back and forth like she is reading. I can't imagine my daughter on the computer without her. Great site guys wish I found it earlier. Wish us the best! and Thank you all.

[taniya91]

when Linnea mentioned saliva it made me think of an allergy i developed with a hedgehog i work with (but dont own unfortunately). ive worked with and held many hedgies with no problem but this guy is a killer (not really) for me... after he cleans himself his saliva dries on his hairs and when i hold him and he spikes himself all up that dried spit enters my skin and causes my hands to swell and i get all red and itchy (only on my hands or where he is touching on me like my arms) ...i found this to be important because when one of my blueys is out his tongue is going a mile a minute and he is always "licking" me...maybe your bluey does this too? maybe she is breaking out where your blueys tongue is touching her? like i break out where the hedgie touches me?

not sure Linnea's advise is much more extensive and informative then mine haha just thought id throw it out there

[Spindown]

taniya, I'm not sure about the swelling, but many people get red and itchy when poked by hedgies.