the problem mostly with cedar is the oil, it also has an overwhelming smell (which is why people like it) that can almost "suffocate" an animal in an enclosed cage (ever stick your head in a box full of cedar? you come out kinda lightheaded) in an open cage, with good genetics, maybe his piggies aren't sniffly one has to take into account the poor breeding practices of some petstore suppliers, some carefully bred piggies may not be harmed much by cedar
allergies to animals can be from the fur, but is usually more the dander (usually a combination of skin flakes, saliva, and body oils) for me-I am only (topically) allergic if i rub a furry critter too much on my face, I will break out in hives which then turn into pimple-like bumps, or if i get scratched too much (my rats' scratches often end up red and swollen for a few hours, but Purell takes care of it) a friend of mine was (breathing) allergic to animals but had relatively no problems with solid gray cats, they seem to have less dander and such he had more problems with lab & retriever dogs who seem to shed more i am slightly (breathing) allergic to my huge furry family only now with 3 dogs, 10cats, and 40 tanks of small critters and the dust and such from moving, remodeling, & shedding season before with 1 dog, 8 cats, 30 tanks, and not remodeling or unpacking, i barely had problems so now i have stuffy nose most of the time until everything is settled and cleaned a bit better but i'd much rather have a stuffy nose than give up any one of my family! my comfort never comes before an animal's life each person's allergies are unique to that person some people are downright allergic to anything animal-like, even birds! others are like me and have a tolerance level before too much is too much you can always "borrow" someone's piggie for a weekend too see if your hubby has allergies to it -- ron & traci things-that-squeak [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.neo.rr.com/thingsthatsqueak/ oh well, bunch of rambling but maybe it'll interest someone! LOL > From: Jean M Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: Jean M Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 16:33:19 -0500 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: cedar bedding/Jean > > I ran into a guy at the pet store today who bought cedar bedding for his > guinea pig. I told him the mailing list says cedar bedding is poisonous > and so it's not a safe bedding for small critters, but he said he's used > it for years without having any problem. Is he just lucky, or is it all > a matter of opinion about the safety vs. unsafety of cedar bedding? The > pet store clerk, too, said he'd never had any problem with it. > > The guinea pigs sure looked cute. He said someone with allergies > shouldn't have any trouble with guinea pig fur unless he picked it up, > but I even doubt that. My husband doesn't have to pick up a cat to still > have allergy problems from it. Guinea pigs would be a problem for him, > too, right? > > Of course, I won't consider trying guinea pigs while I have my sweet > gerbils and hamsters. I ran into a lady and her teen daughter today who > were having trouble finding teddy bear hamsters, so I gave her the phone > number of the woman from whom we'd picked up ours. They were elated. > > The gerbils and hamsters seem to be doing fine right now. Gerbils > definitely *are* more active during the day than hamsters. > -Jean
