Allergen Sensitive Stuart

[Tara]

Well, I think my Stuart is allergic to laundry detergent.    The scabs that he had really bad before I switched his diet have returned since I have had them on cloth bedding.  I washed my first load of rat linens and ever since then, he's been sneezy, and itchy, and some of the red p-stuff every now and again.   It started right after I laundered the bedding.

Gizmo, on the other hand, is fine.  No itchies, no sneezies, no p-stuff.   Just really ornery.

So, should I hunt down some hypo-allergenic detergent and keep them on the cloth (which they really LOVE), or should I go back to Yesterday's News, which was okay, but messy,  or try something different altogether like walnut?

Interested to hear your thoughts!!   If you know of a detergent that might be good, please let me know!  (I am pretty sure it's the detergent, I tried a load without the dryer sheets, but with the detergent, and there was no change in his condition.)

[kim]

might be worth it to test out the allergenic detergents - they are supposed to be good all around

[Tara]

might be worth it to test out the allergenic detergents - they are supposed to be good all around

Thanks, Kim!   You think I should leave them on the cloth, then?   They really really do like it!   I'd hate to have to switch on them again.  

Also, do you think it seems reasonable to treat it like it's an allergy, given the fat that the other rat in the same cage is completely unafftected?   I don't want to pass it off as an allergy when it's something that needs treatment.  

[Jodi]

My hubby, sons, and I are all fair-skinned and fair-haired with some nasty sensitivities (both skin and sinuses) to detergents and pretty much everything else. I bought some of the "All" brand "Free/Clear" liquid laundry detergent and tried it for quite awhile, but it really seemed to us to be even worse in the long run than the regular detergents had been! Both humans and furries in our house didn't tolerate it well at all.

I've since switched back to using regular powder Tide, but I only use a fraction of the recommended amount, double-rinse every load, and add a little vinegar to the first rinse, and this has done the trick for us.

I've also heard others recommend using the Ivory flakes for laundry as well.

[Dearpie]

Rats, like people, are individuals.  One rattie can be allergic to something and not his cagemate.  Try the dye-free detergent and see if it clears up.  In the mean time, keep a close eye on the one sneezing to be sure it's not more than perhaps allergies!  I use cloth and the guys seem to like it just fine.  Being boys, they don't do a lot of tunneling or decorating.  I can't imagine how much we've saved by not spending money on carefresh.  The Martin's 695 alone takes one full small bag!!

With the cloth, just be REAL careful about any loose strings that could get wrapped around any part of the rattie and strangle them, ie feet, tail or body!  I clip ALL the areas where they chew so those strings are GONE. (Past experience with a foot being strangled .....  luckily we caught it EARLY and no serious damage was incurred.)

[amymckee]

Besides being allergic to stuff, could he have mites? That just came to mind when you mentioned scabs, because mites were the cause of scabs in my house.

[Ali]

I'd try changing the detergent again first, or going back to Yesterday's news for a few days, just to be sure it is an allergy. If it doesn't clear up then you could get a vet check, but from what you've said it does sound as if he's probably having a reaction to the detergent.

Like you, I love keeping my boys on cloth - I know it sounds daft (and a very long shot) but it's never occurred to me that it COULD be a cause of their sneezing (I've changed every other environmental factor I can think of). Doh. I'm going to buy new detergent tomorrow just in case.... thanks for the switching on the lightbulb!

[Tara]

Besides being allergic to stuff, could he have mites? That just came to mind when you mentioned scabs, because mites were the cause of scabs in my house.

Well,  this isn't the first time he's had the scabs.  The first time he had them is when I discovered this board, and I thought it was mites, and planned on starting treatement, as soon as I could get a hold of the Ivermectin.   In the meantime, however, I learned more about proper diet.  He was on a lot of protien with the hamster mix I was feeding, and so I changed to low protien Nutro Natural Choice Light as the staple, with a variety of other foods for... well... variety!  No sooner did I stop the hamster food then the scabs began to clear up, and go away completely.    

The other thing that makes me think this is an allergy over mites, is that his cage mate hardly scratches at all, shows no signs of mites, and none of the other symptoms that Stuart is showing.  

I think that Stuart is my little hypersensitive boy, and that I will have to make sure he's not allergic to everything before I keep it with him for a long time!  

[Yresim]

Mites can actually show up on one rat and not another.  Also, it is possible for the scabs to "come and go", due to diet changes or almost anything else.  I only know these because I've experienced them (with two separate batches of ratties).

The first batch was when I had a couple of rats with scabs that came and went.  I thought it was allergies for a long time.  The poor little buggers had to suffer until I took them to the vet for something else, and he discovered the mites, which they apparently got from the clothes of one of the kids at school.  

The second was with Mocha and Ennoia.  Mocha showed the scabs and Ennoia didn't.  

The only way to know for certain is to have your vet do a scrape test.  

PLEASE NOTE:  If one of your rats has mites, it is important to have all of them treated for mites at the same time.  That is the only way to really get rid of them.

[Krystal]

I'm allergic to most every laundry detergent AND fabric softener.  I can use Ajax or Arm & Hammer detergent, and Bounce softener.  Poor ratties....allergies are miserable.