Officially, there are 50 different recognized domestic rabbit breeds. But, they differ from each other in terms of rarity, weight, fur length, and skin type. From all those differences, a few rabbit breeds have better skills than others in reducing allergies.
Some people are allergic to pet animals. The reasons might be because of the natural components or chemicals within the rabbit’s fur. Remember, you will have more chances of allergens when your pet has long hair. If these allergies pose a problem for you, it is better to buy the rabbit with a “typical” hair length.
Many pet owners will stop petting the rabbit due to allergies. The allergic reaction is one of the foremost reasons why humans tend to abandon pets. Even before going to the allergist to take tests, the pet owners worry about their health if they develop particular symptoms. It makes them question their pet ownership.
Here is the list of the allergy sources, so let’s get started.
Contents
From Where The Pet Allergies Comes?
Humans showing allergic reactions to pets are rare, and in general, rabbits have allergens in their fur. If you do not keep your pet in neat surroundings, allergens will settle and spread on its skin. It is very dangerous for the rabbit and you as well.
Your pet or its fur is not the one causing allergies. But the rabbit’s fur accumulates dust, dirt, mold, pollen, and these particles result in allergies.
Also, you may find other annoying materials in your pet rabbit’s follicles. These substances might be urine, saliva, dander, and sweat. All of them might spread around the surroundings of your pet’s pen.
The human body reacts to all the above elements and chemicals. Sneezing, feeling stiff in your head, watery eyes, or runny nose – all these are allergic reactions. Any of these reactions can be troublesome and takes away the joy of petting a rabbit. Due to this, it is crucial to understand the limitations that you and the rabbit must need.
The fur length of the rabbit holds importance as it determines the occurrence of allergies. If your pet has long fur, you will have to face more problems. So if you find that the pet and your allergies have opposite forces, it is better to bring a young rabbit with short fur. For instance, consider getting a Dwarf Hotot instead of Giant Angora.
Allergies go hand in hand with every pet, even if the rabbit is having short fur or no hair at all. If you want to prevent allergic reactions, it is better to get fish, reptiles, or amphibian animals.
You may find this pointless, but it is a crucial option, mainly if you do not get anything to reduce your symptoms.
In general, rabbits can have four different kinds of fur. Every type varies in thickness, length, texture, and also single hair shaft density.
Normal Hair
The rabbit that has typical normal hair is the decent option. This type of pet will have neither too long nor too thick fur. So, only a few allergens will stay on the skin and hair of the pet.
In general, rabbits with normal hair are very common in the pet animal kingdom. More than thirty varieties are emerging from all over the world. These types of rabbits have incredible personalities, and you can care for them with ease.
Here Is A List Of The Best Normal Hair Rabbit Breeds:
- American
- The Lop variety
- English
- French
- Holland
- Mini
- Harlequin
- Britannia Petite
- Californian
- Cinnamon
- Belgian Hare
- Dutch
- The Lop variety
- English
- French
- Holland
- Mini
- English Spot
- Florida White
- Lilac
- Blanc de Hotot and Dwarf Hotot
- Netherland Dwarf
- Tan
- Checkered Giant
- The Chinchilla variety
- American
- Giant
- Standard
- The Silver variety
- Fox
- Martin
- Silver
You can recognize the Lop variety pets because they have apparent long ears and might need additional cleaning. Apart from this, they are the same as the ordinary hair rabbit breeds when it comes to maintaining allergens.
Rex Hair
In the Rex rabbits, you will find two different types – Rex and the Mini Rex pets.
These types of animals have very thick fur. They were curated by the breeders so that they can grow dense and delightful hair over the years. Due to this, the Mini Rex kind of rabbits is among the famous domestic rabbit breeds.
Though it is dense, the Rex rabbits have short and straight fur. You can easily combat allergens in these rabbits compared to pets with thin but long hair.
Satin Hair
Satin pets have short hair but are a unique kind. They have small diameter hair shafts and look transparent. This type of fur seems to retain a beautiful sheen and provides persuading opportunities to these satin rabbits.
These kinds of pets arrive in three lines:
- Satin
- Mini Satin
- Satin Angora
The Satin Angora rabbits do have a similar and traditional Satin composition. But, they are very distinct from the Mini and Satin when it comes to length and care.
Every Satin pet has its honor for having the sleek luster. But the Satin Angora contains the precious wool in the pet rabbit kingdom.
Wool Hair
Here comes the last type of rabbit fur, which is “wool.” Your pet has soft and fragile wool, and it is an excellent bait for allergens to lie low inside it.
Out of all, Angora variation is the typical and best wooly rabbit. Other rabbits in the wool grade, including this variety, possess elegant and eye-opening Manes. It is hard to clean and maintain wool fur. Also, the allergens hide in this type of fur compared to the other kinds of rabbit fur. But, petting a woolen rabbit is worth it due to its attractiveness.
Woolen rabbit breeds:
- American Fuzzy Lop
- Angora
- Cavies
- Jersey Wooly
- Lionhead
Another vital factor to consider before choosing the woolen pet is grooming. As you know, many rabbits enjoy cleaning their fur and skin on their own. But, remember, a few variations would not shed or peel their hair. It is crucial to brush and shear the fur of the rabbit. If needed, you can also cut it, but before that, you have to be cautious. This method is necessary if your pet is matted, looks very dirty, or if the fur is long.
Opposite to that, grooming is more than enough for the rabbits with shiny and short fur. If you want, spot-cleaning from time to time is also better.
Jersey Wooly weighs around three and a half pounds, and it is among the tiniest woolen rabbits. Experts developed this type of pet in the late twentieth century. Their main goal is to create a little rabbit with beautiful wool fur. Out of all the different wooly pets, the Jersey Wooly stands as the best in both kingdoms. They look cute, delightful, and are easy to maintain.
Keeping Them Clean
Like you do to other animals, keeping the rabbit and its pen clean is crucial. As the rabbits are natural groomers, it is not necessary to give them daily baths. But, your pet will require your assistance in keeping their cell and the litter box neat. If you often do this, it is easy to reduce the chance of getting infections from the allergens.
Below are a few methods you can try to restrict the allergens In Your House:
- It is good to tidy up the places where your pet roams around often.
- After patting the rabbit, rinse both hands.
- Until you wash your hands, keep them away from your mouth and eyes.
- Stop the rabbit from entering your private rooms.
- Give your pet its bedding and keep it in a different room than yours.
- Keep rabbit-free spaces to separate the allergens.
- Place your pet inside its pen so it would not carry pollens and other particles from outdoors. You can find many non-irritating substitutes and practical suggestions in the Small Pet Select.
The food that you give your pet might also be the reason for rabbit-related allergic reactions. Though the best food is hay for rabbits, a few types of grass will cause more irritation.
If your pet spends more time outdoors, it is better to check the type of grass it is eating there. Sometimes, this can be the reason behind your allergic reactions.
What Can I Do
As you know, you can learn many things through research! It depends on your allergies which type of rabbit is excellent for you. If you want, you can browse through a few rabbit-related websites. Also, plenty of rabbit-loving owners are out there and are willing to share their knowledge about their pets. You can get some valuable pieces of advice for being a reliable rabbit owner.
One of my buddies has a Lionhead rabbit, which is a wooly type. My friend does not face any problems like allergic reactions. You have to be cautious of the allergens near your surroundings to avoid negative impacts before buying a rabbit.
If possible, it is better to spend a bit with various domestic rabbits before buying a particular breed. Using this method, you can know how you react while you are with them. After, buy the one where you have little to no allergic reactions.
One crucial thing you need to know before buying the rabbit is the maintenance or ease of care. Question yourself – how much work can I afford to do for the rabbit to be healthy? Considering allergic reactions will make it easy fo you to decide on the ease of care factor.
Moreover, can you tolerate the rabbit for everything? Some rabbit owners love their pets enough to resist every trouble and discomfort. But, a few others will think of this as too much of a burden.
At last, the final decision is yours! Also, you have enough idea of which type of rabbit breeds will suit your family.