[Berks]

A few weeks ago I noticed after my son was playing with the girls that he had a few scratches on his hands from their nails. I do trim them but it never fails they are still sharp. Anyways, where ever they scratch him at, he gets puffy. Just around the scratch area. He says its a little itchy but it always goes away. Is he allergic? Or is this just another reaction from having irritable skin (he has a weird eczema called dyshidrosis). Anyone else have a similiar problem? If he were allergic, wouldnt he have other symptoms, and have "breakouts" just from touching them?

 

[BlueSkyy]

it could be the urine on their nails that gets into the cuts, does the area get red and inflamed or just puffy?

 

[Berks]

def. puffy maybe a little redness to it. tonight when he plays with them i'll examine it closely. If thats what it is, there really isnt a whole lot I can do about it huh, lol. I guess he could always wear a pair of thin gloves when playing with them.

 

[twitch]

that might be a good question to call the doctor about. he could probably tell you over the phone. if it was a reaction to the urine i would think just touching the rat's fur would give an allergic reaction. i don't know how icthy or red those sctratches are but the ones i get will itch a bit. its not because i'm allergic or anything, its because the skin was damaged by the nails and as it heals the wound starts to itch a bit. but that happens with any healing minor wound i find anyway, so i chalk it up to that. but where your son has a skin condition already (i have no clue about it) it might pay to ask your doctor about it.

 

[lilspaz68]

I am not allergic perse to my many rats but I sometimes get the puffy scratches too. Just wash them with soap and water and they should be just fine. Its from the urine under their nails.

 

[sunbirdx]

I have sensitive skin, and anytime I play with my rats, my scratches are red and raised, and if they break the skin, very itchy. I always figured it was the urine or dander under their nails, and like spaz, I just wash up!

 

[Malta]

I get puffy scratches too. Honestly i get them more from my cats then the rats. They itch for about 12 hours(ish) then stop. I don't THINK you have anything to worry about here.

 

[madeittothemoon]

I have eczema, and I'm allergic to pretty much anything with fur. When I get those scratches, I usually put on the medicated cream for my eczema. But it would probably help if he wore long sleeves and gloves... that way he could cut down his chances of getting scratched!

 

[ari3189]

i get these too from my boys. it sort of looks like a rash and gets really dry. but it goes away

 

[KAYLASMOM]

This also happens to me! I have allergies and asthma so I thought maybe thats why I got red, raised and itchy when I get scrathched. When my girls stand up on my back and their nails go down me it gets itchy too. I am allergic to cats horribbly, but I don't think i am to rats. If I was, I would get shots every week b/c I would never get rid of them.

 

[Phobie]

My boyfriend gets that. When either of the boys scratches him, it swells and sometimes he gets patches of inflamed skin. It's just a mild allergy, but in the young, make sure it doesn't get worse as he gets older.

 

[Berks]

thanks everyone! at least I know its not just my son. Ill keep an eye on it and just make sure he washes up good afterwards. The other night when he was finished playing with them it didnt happen so they must not have scratched him good. I get scratched all the time but my skin does not puff up and look irritated like his does.

 

[Brad]

I get itchy when I play with the boys moreso than the girls. Still I don't think a minor reaction will cause any problem. Antibacterial soap will help.

 

[nuipisqo]

I would also like an answer to this.

[first post here]

Whenever I have my male rat scratching my skin it gets all puffy. This also happens with my girlfriend. I do not get this problem with my other (female) rat. I'll post pictures tonight.

Maybe someone could tell us whats going on...

Freddy

 

[AceYourFace]

That actually happens to me too. My girls climb on my neck and sometimes go down my shirt. The end result leaves puffy read itchy scratches. But a few hours to a day they are gone. Just make sure to clean with soap and water and he should be fine. If your real worried take him to a doc. Thats why now I wear a sweatshirt or zip up when I play with them. Just be glad it's not an Iguana. Mine used to give me the worst scratches just from climbing on my arm.

 

[Sky14]

It's like a cat scratch! I always make sure if I get scratched by my cat that I get as much blood to come out at first and it doesn't get all scratchy...