Can You Be Allergic to Chinchillas?

Chinchillas are lovable and endearing and offer many years of companionship for the owner but can you be allergic to chinchillas? A not so well known info is that chinchilla do discharge proteins that make a person allergic. It is expulsion in the form of urine and saliva and in addition to, they shed their fur once every few months.

The reason a person becomes allergic to chinchillas is primarily due to the hay and dust from the chinchillas. If you happen to be allergic to hay and dust, then buying a chinchilla as pet is out of question. It is a well known fact that most warm-blooded animals that release protein have fur in their body. Furry animals like to lick their fur and the saliva, once dried will set of the protein floating about on different material in the home.

Some who might not be attuned of such things will have to contend with their allergies and eventually give away their pet chinchilla. It is not just the owner who has to put up with the hassle but the poor chinchilla as well. They will have to fore go their hay and dust bath and then sooner or later they have to be re-homed. It can be traumatic for the pet chinchilla, not just for the owner who is suffering from the allergy.

You can get allergic just by exposing to the chinchilla and rubbing your eyes and skin is common. One relevant detail that we need to know is that allergy might takes weeks, months or even years to occur and there are instances that some owners might require inhaler to cure their breathing predicament. If you are one such person who eventually becomes allergic to the hay and dust, then re-homing is obligatory for your pet.

To avoid from developing long term allergies from the hay and dust, there are many ways and cover the cage of your chinchilla with a sheet by having its own enclosed area with closed door is one of them. If there is a need to apply dust, stay off the fans, then wrap it with a sheet and close the door to the room for a little more than ten minutes as it will allow the dust to settle.

Asides from the necessary safety measures, you can buy for your pet chinchilla certain brand of bath sands that reduce the impact of the dust from flying around. While it is helpful to reduce the dust, it is not cost effective for those who are on a tight resource. The measures you take to curtail the allergies from your pet chinchilla are all indispensable steps but if you do eventually develop allergies or are severely allergic to fur and dust, then re-homing is the best option.