Incredible allergic reaction to rats, please help!

Ok so I’ve had snakes on and off for awhile.
I bred rats years ago but stopped because I developed some mild allergies to them.
Fast forward 5 or so years and here we are.
I thawed and heated my rats in water, as I always have. Shortly after I’m wheezing, coughing, nose running. Couldn’t lay down or sleep or walk around, I was exhausted from breathing but still wasn’t getting enough air. Super scary.
So 2 days ago fed my snakes, small rat medium rat, one for each.

Used a special bowl, used elbow length rubber gloves, opened all the windows.
Same reaction, slightly less worse, used broncaid an hour before but had to use it every 6 hours or so to keep the labored breathing away.

So next week I’m going to try to thaw heat AND feed outside on the porch. I’ll bring the home water out there, bring the snakes outside to feed in feeding tubs (they eat in cage but they aren’t fussy)
Honestly though I need to figure something out.
If a ball python is eating a medium rat, could I just feed tons of mice? Is there another feeder I can use? I’m not allergic to mice, or anything else that I know of, just rats. Specifically I think it’s the urine from the rats.
Maybe the hot water is vaporizing the allergens, perhaps using heat lamps?

I’m supposed to be getting a baby bci soon, currently on mice.
I’m freaking out that I have to cancel that snake and rehome my other 2.
How the heck can I prevent this guys? I love my snakes and haven’t even started to look for re homes, but I also don’t wana go to the er over snake food.

Digging through here I found people talking positively about layne labs.

Their frozen chicks might be too small for my bigger snake, but are the right weight range for my smaller bp.
That said guinea pigs.... I know I’m not allergic to them, have a range of sizes so no scent issue down the road, they seem like the logical option, as the rabbits are too big for my smallest.
This might be the answer I needed.
The problem is shipping sucks considering I wouldn’t be able to get more than 5 or 6 of each (space in freezer until I get a new freezer just for feeders)
A local place says they can maybe get quail, layne labs also has those so maybe that’s a better option?

You "can" (theoretically) feed a bunch of mice instead of a solo rat to a snake, but many BPs balk at eating more than one item per meal. All you can do is try & see. Mostly feeding one larger rat is convenient,
not any sort of essential in terms of nutrition...rats & mice are quite similar. (though some try to insist otherwise...)

You could try other prey items...maybe baby rabbits, or chicks, or guinea pigs or hamsters... Your BCI is going to be a larger problem to feed, just because it will grow much larger than a BP. So sorry you're having
this problem...you definitely need to stay away from rats. Severe allergies are nothing to fool with...sure hope you don't become allergic to other rodents now too.

There ARE plenty of wonderful snakes that eat only mice...like the various rat & corn snakes, gopher/bull/pine snakes, king & milk snakes, rosy boas, Australian spotted pythons (-if you aren't familiar, they stay small-
about the size of an adult corn snake). Personally, I prefer the more active colubrids myself...& their care is easier too (most don't require the higher heat & temperatures of BPs & boas) & stay a manageable size.

One problem is that BPs tend to be finicky eaters...whereas I can feed such various prey to a rat snake (& others) & they wouldn't bat an eyelash even if they had them. BCI tend to be easy to please too,
but they do get bigger & harder to fill up. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

You "can" (theoretically) feed a bunch of mice instead of a solo rat to a snake, but many BPs balk at eating more than one item per meal. All you can do is try & see. Mostly feeding one larger rat is convenient,
not any sort of essential in terms of nutrition...rats & mice are quite similar. (though some try to insist otherwise...)

You could try other prey items...maybe baby rabbits, or chicks, or guinea pigs or hamsters... Your BCI is going to be a larger problem to feed, just because it will grow much larger than a BP. So sorry you're having
this problem...you definitely need to stay away from rats. Severe allergies are nothing to fool with...sure hope you don't become allergic to other rodents now too.

There ARE plenty of wonderful snakes that eat only mice...like the various rat & corn snakes, gopher/bull/pine snakes, king & milk snakes, rosy boas, Australian spotted pythons (-if you aren't familiar, they stay small-
about the size of an adult corn snake). Personally, I prefer the more active colubrids myself...& their care is easier too (most don't require the higher heat & temperatures of BPs & boas) & stay a manageable size.

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I really have to try to find something before getting different snakes. And I’ve already totally fallen for this new bci. :(
The local store sells the quail and seems like layne has them fairly cheap. I’ve tried the mice and my snakes won’t eat the required amount in a single feed, and the few days after they don’t seem interested as well so it’s a constant feed/catchup to the needed weight issue.

Luckily with my two current they seem to eat anything on feeding day,
So maybe this will work. Worst case back to corn snakes I guess

The BI will actually be easier to deal with, as it will happily chow down on a variety of feeders, including chicks, mice, rabbit kits, etc. They don't have to ever eat rats.

Unfortunately you may have to rehome your BP's as it sounds like your allergies are worsening with time and repeated exposures. My only suggestion there is to go to the doctor, get tested for the exact allergen, and see if there is a course of treatment to mitigate your reactions. If not you could ask for a prescription for an epi-pen, just in case the inhaler doesn't work.

Also have you tried oral OTC antihistamines, taken an hour before you start warming the rats? Benadryl is usually the go-to but since it causes drowsiness I would try something different.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

The BI will actually be easier to deal with, as it will happily chow down on a variety of feeders, including chicks, mice, rabbit kits, etc. They don't have to ever eat rats.

Unfortunately you may have to rehome your BP's as it sounds like your allergies are worsening with time and repeated exposures. My only suggestion there is to go to the doctor, get tested for the exact allergen, and see if there is a course of treatment to mitigate your reactions. If not you could ask for a prescription for an epi-pen, just in case the inhaler doesn't work.

Also have you tried oral OTC antihistamines, taken an hour before you start warming the rats? Benadryl is usually the go-to but since it causes drowsiness I would try something different.

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Yeah I take a broncaid 1hr before and it helps. Broncaid is basically ephedrine tablets and super bad to take regularly, but does an amazing job fairly quickly and doesn’t make me sleepy, but it does keep me from sleeping.

but the last few times it’s been a several day recovery with the most recent making me very ill and tired, to the point of interfering with my work. That’s a huge no.
I’m going to try the quail if I can’t get them soon enough I’ll take the snakes to a friends and have them care for them until they come in. If they won’t eat those, I guess I’ll rehome them :/
I’m not super worried about the bci, it’s fairly small still, and yeah they seem to eat whatever lol.
Totally sucks, but I do understand my health > my snakes, but that absolutely sucks.

Truly wish you the best outcome, but you have to take care of yourself first. I agree, the BCI should be easy...but BPs, not so much. :(

Man that sucks, I’ve never heard of such an allergy. Do you live alone? If not maybe you can have someone else prepare the food and feed the snakes. Otherwise you could get a respirator. Probably sounds dumb but it might work.


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I hope this isn't too off-the-wall, but what about ASF? I'd suspect their dander and hair is significantly different from the domestic strain of Norway rat commonly sold as feeders - perhaps the difference is significant enough that you can handle being around them.

If it does come down to looking at other types of snakes, I'd like to cosign the recommendation that you consider the Antaresia pythons - they are hardy, active, curious little snakes with big personalities.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

If it does come down to looking at other types of snakes, I'd like to cosign the recommendation that you consider the Antaresia pythons - they are hardy, active, curious little snakes with big personalities.

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Exactly! There are a ton of snakes out there that don't need to eat rats. My BP's are the only picky eaters. Everything else - if it smells even remotely like food, they'll hit it.

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Originally Posted by MarkL1561

Man that sucks, I’ve never heard of such an allergy. Do you live alone? If not maybe you can have someone else prepare the food and feed the snakes. Otherwise you could get a respirator. Probably sounds dumb but it might work.


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I live with my fiancé and her son.
The issue is, frozen I can handle them seemingly fine. Thawed out the whole house is a death trap. We’re thinking of feeding outside next time. It’s gotten worse with each feeding over time. Used to be no issue.
Hoping they will take to other prey items.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

I hope this isn't too off-the-wall, but what about ASF? I'd suspect their dander and hair is significantly different from the domestic strain of Norway rat commonly sold as feeders - perhaps the difference is significant enough that you can handle being around them.

If it does come down to looking at other types of snakes, I'd like to cosign the recommendation that you consider the Antaresia pythons - they are hardy, active, curious little snakes with big personalities.

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I’m not sure the difference or where to even get them locally to try. I’m faster to try ordering a different animal completely vs the 75 after shipping on a bunch of rat like critters. I currently get my rats the day I feed, frozen, and thaw out within the day. Frozen they are not dangerous to me, as long as I wash my hands.

I know guinea pigs and birds don’t cause
This issue, nor do mice, it’s specifically rats, and I’m willing to bet it’s something in their urine that causes it. Male rats cause a more
Serious reaction vs females.
Had a frozen rat claw scratch my finger
And it swelled like a balloon at work. It’s honestly heartbreaking. I can get rats at work dirt cheap (I’m a pet store manager) but now I’m kind of stuck hoping these other random options work out.
I’m pretty confident that the bci will not be an issue, they seem to eat whatever, but I know my bp’s will be a challenge.

Unless you live in a state where ASF are illegal you might want to see if you can get your hands on one via pet shop connections, but I sure do understand why you wouldn't want to place an order and pay shipping for a bunch of ASF if you aren't sure about them. The other thing you could consider is checking Craigslist for local ASF breeders and/or seeing if there's a local herpetological society near you. If someone there feeds ASF they'd likely be willing to let you try one.

There are some decent options foodwise that you have already touched on, so I have my fingers crossed that you can find a viable alternative. Please be sure to let your allergy doc know how severe your reaction is; as your response has escalated, it might be worth having an epi pen around just in case.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

Unless you live in a state where ASF are illegal you might want to see if you can get your hands on one via pet shop connections, but I sure do understand why you wouldn't want to place an order and pay shipping for a bunch of ASF if you aren't sure about them. The other thing you could consider is checking Craigslist for local ASF breeders and/or seeing if there's a local herpetological society near you. If someone there feeds ASF they'd likely be willing to let you try one.

There are some decent options foodwise that you have already touched on, so I have my fingers crossed that you can find a viable alternative. Please be sure to let your allergy doc know how severe your reaction is; as your response has escalated, it might be worth having an epi pen around just in case.

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Haven’t gone to an allergy doc yet but I will when I get a day off work.
I think asf are not legal here unfortunately, would be worth it to try but again even if I could legally get them frozen here might not be worth the risk being so similar.
I’m placing an order for quail, simply because they get pretty big, a local shop I know of can get them frozen possibly (wouldn’t be tied down to ordering 10-20) and I have no issues with birds.
So long I guess are the days of getting the food the day of for my 2 snakes. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9d06fbd910.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5ef379609f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...68b70f7d46.jpg

In states where ASF are illegal, the laws are just about having the live animal; it isn't illegal to have them as frozen food items. And honestly I'd be pretty surprised if you had a similar reaction to them, as they are an entirely different genus and species from Norway rats...but I get that it's just not an easily accessible option. Your ball pythons are really lovely snakes, and I very much hope you can get something sorted out so that you can keep them.

Didnt read through all the replies but my wife is the same and I had to stop breeding Norway Rats. I know breed Asf’s. The first breeders I had were evil little things, striking at me ones they had litters and killing their young. Then I found a guy who spent a lot of time with his Asf’s as a hobby. For the last couple years ive had no problems with these. The only thing that i dont like is the growth Rate. Takes months for them to be a decent size. Also when your new it takes a long time to understand how to care for them. You have to use feeders for the Lab Block or they chew 24/7 turning it to dust. I had to make feeders out of 1/2” hardware cloth and also use hardware cloth around the water bottles or they chewed the plastic around the the fill cap. Yes even on the glass bottles there is a spot they can chew. They are wild like that. I have 6 fourty gal breeder tanks i use with zilla lids and they chewed all the plastic around the rim of the tank till it was gone. Doesnt effect anything but that just shows how they chew. If you can find a frozen seller for them id try those. My wife has no reaction to them at all.


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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

Didnt read through all the replies but my wife is the same and I had to stop breeding Norway Rats. I know breed Asf’s. The first breeders I had were evil little things, striking at me ones they had litters and killing their young. Then I found a guy who spent a lot of time with his Asf’s as a hobby. For the last couple years ive had no problems with these. The only thing that i dont like is the growth Rate. Takes months for them to be a decent size. Also when your new it takes a long time to understand how to care for them. You have to use feeders for the Lab Block or they chew 24/7 turning it to dust. I had to make feeders out of 1/2” hardware cloth and also use hardware cloth around the water bottles or they chewed the plastic around the the fill cap. Yes even on the glass bottles there is a spot they can chew. They are wild like that. I have 6 fourty gal breeder tanks i use with zilla lids and they chewed all the plastic around the rim of the tank till it was gone. Doesnt effect anything but that just shows how they chew. If you can find a frozen seller for them id try those. My wife has no reaction to them at all.


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I’m honestly going to try the other options first just to play it safe. Snakes will be fine until that order gets here and if they won’t eat I guess I’ll figure that out. Already looking for a new home just in case but can’t seem to find anyone near me :/ don’t want them going just anywhere

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Originally Posted by Solidsnek

Haven’t gone to an allergy doc yet but I will when I get a day off work....

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I'd love to be "a fly on the wall" when you do though...I'd LOVE to see the look on his or her face when you explain WHY you need to control your allergy to RATS! :rofl: :snake::snake::snake:

But seriously, I do think you should get some help with your allergy...just in case it extends to other rodent species in the future, and to be prepared for any accidental exposure to rats meanwhile.

Alright guys I’d like update everyone that was nice enough to follow along.
My iPhone died and I have since gotten a new one so here we are lol.

First feeding no one wanted anything to do with quail. I kind of assumed that would happen. A week later offered my snakes new quail (frozen thawed) zero interest from all but my large coral glow blast ball python, but he’s a pig and would eat a hamburger if I put it in there.
Waited until today to try a third time.
I was concerned for the bci, but him and my grumpy fuss bp decided today was the day.
I’m glad I can say that at this point I’ll probably be keeping my small collection but won’t get anymore.
The bci scared the crap out of me eating too, I’m used to pb mostly bopping and eating, he almost ripped it half striking it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, sfr if legal would have been my next try for sure.

Wow, I’m so sorry this is happening to you!! I personally love Layne Labs. The feeders are always high quality and they at least purport to strive for healthy diets, enriching environment, and humane euthanization for their feeders and I like supporting that🤷🏻:cens0r:♀️ I know people say BPs can be finicky (I haven’t had one since I was a kid and back then, I didn’t know about options anyway!) but each snake is an individual. It might be super easy to switch him over! Your BCI should be no problem. Chicks, quail, guinea pigs...a varied diet is always my preference anyway!

Hairless rats might be an option for you too.

So I got them all on quail finally. I actually found a store near me that has them, I’m paying next to nothing for them so until that runs out I’ll keep layne as a back up.

It’s not the fur exactly that I’m allergic to. It’s the rat urine. Male rats mark more and I have a higher reaction to them vs females, but even those are now way too much, I should have gone to the er last time but I’m stubborn.

Luckily they are eating quail, the boa took a few weeks to adjust from live mice but she destroyed the thawed quail most recently.
I’ll have to see how weight of quail vs rats changes their weight, haven’t been weighing prey recently tho

Glad to hear it's working out for you. :gj: Severe allergies are nothing to fool with.

I've heard that boas eating birds (at least chicks) often have smelly and runny stools, so don't worry if you see that. I hope the quail work well for everybody!

If you're curious, found an old study on nutrition of vertebrate prey:
Quail - Moisture 65%, remaining matter Protein 68%, fat 29%
Adult Rat - Moisture 66%, remaining matter Protein 62%, fat 33%
Day old chick - Moisture 75%, remaining matter Protein 65%, fat 22%

Old thread but I’d say that so far they seem smelly but not so much runny. He’s eating 80-110 size from Layne labs. He’s 1113 g so I’m assuming 1 every 9-10 days should be sufficient. We had been getting quail locally 72cent each and that was nice but since all this happened, I had to feed all my snakes mice, for maybe 2 months, just got the Layne labs order in a couple days ago actually, they look healthier then where I was getting them. Mice was a disaster as even my ball python was eating 5-6 a week a week and still seemed hungry. Luckily they have had a varied diet (mice rats and quail) and hoping to add some random prey items as they get bigger just for variety, atleast in the boa.
Hope everyone is being healthy.

Glad things are working out ok for you & yours.