Hedgehog Hives

Hedgehog hives happen, but why? Are you allergic to your hedgehog, or was there something on your hedgehog's quills? Could it be those same quills that are like cute little acupuncture needles poking into your skin causing the not-so-fun reaction? We're going to scratch the surface on hedgie hives and discuss why your little friend may be making you break out. We'll also mention some theories that may contribute to your skins reaction, and what you can do about it. And don't you think about scratching those hives! Read on to find out why…

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People of all ages have experienced an uncomfortable itchy sensation after handling a hedgehog called uticaria. It looks like raised areas of the skin that appear red and feel maddeningly itchy. Almost like what happens when you come into contact with poison ivy. The condition usually lasts less than 24 hours and appears in the area where the hedgehog's raised spines came into contact with the skin. It's considered a localized allergic reaction!

The human body creates a defensive reaction to whatever substance was present on the hedgehog's spines in the form of the amino acid known as histamine. Histamine dilates the small blood vessels which then creates a liquid that accumulates in the skin and causes the hives. More about histamine production can be read here.

You won't always know at first if you are going to be effected by hedgie hives because allergies can take months to appear. Or, the irritant that could be on your hedgie's quills may not be present until a certain date in the future. We say that because many times people will report allergic symptoms months or years after owning a hedgehog.

According to a medical study available online, Dr. Fairly, Dr. Suchniak, and Dr. Paller interviewed three different patients who all had allergies to animal dander. All three broke out in hedgehog hives after coming into contact with raised spines of a hedgehog, and one patient's hives were worse than the others. Family members of these patients didn't have allergies, but were tested by being poked with hedgie dander and didn't react.

The test concluded that an allergy to hedgehog dander specifically was possible, and if you're allergic to all pet dander then you are most likely going to be allergic to a hedgehog (but not always). Some allergic reactions can be worse for some than it is for others. Wheals and welts are not the only indicators of an allergic reaction to a hedgehog though. Other more serious signs of being allergic to hedgehogs include the inability to breath through your nose, swelling of your throat, red eyes, and sneezing. Some owners report that despite already taking allergy medications, they still experience hedgie hives upon contact with their spines. In extreme cases, some have had to re-home their hedgehogs or give them back to the breeder.

Like fish in the water releasing stress hormones, and like a hedgehog in the wild hibernating for the winter – cortisol, adrenaline and nor-adrenaline are a real excretion of the adrenal glands that could contribute to another allergen present at the time when hedgehog hives happen. This means your hedgehog could have a stress oil sitting on their quills that is being poked into your skin and your skin isn't liking it. Sound interesting? You can read about wild European hedgehogs here and how that hormone works for them when they hibernate.

A popular Canadian breeder has said that in her ten years of breeding, she has discovered that hedgehogs actually have different types of quills. Some are more supple and short, others are more thick, firm, and grow larger. This could be why someone could get hedgehog hives from one hedgehog and not the other, even though both hedgehogs come from the same breeder, eat the same food, and live in the same environment. Does your hedgehog have longer or shorter quills? Let us know in the comments below – we're curious!

Taking a look at how allergy tests usually work, Tori-Lynn from Youtube may be onto something with her hunch about why hedgie hives happen. The doctor takes the allergen, such as speckles of pet dander or dust, then scratches or pokes your skin to see if an allergic reaction occurs. So, if you have allergies to pet dander or dust and your hedgehog has these things on their spines, then you're going to break out in hedgehog hives. That's because essentially they are pushing the allergen right into your skin. Now just imagine, what was the last thing your hedgehog anointed with? Did they have some (not so) private time? What was in their saliva that they just rubbed onto their quills? Did they get feces or urine on themselves? This is the more likely theory behind hedgehog hives…

So you've held your adorable allergen causing cactus and now you're breaking out in raised bumpy patches on your skin that are super itchy. Like super-duper itchy. Immediately go wash the area with gentle soap, and use cool or room temperature water. Then, gently pat dry the area with a clean cloth. Feel like taking a shower or an oatmeal bath instead? You could do that too and it should help you. Running cold water on your hives while in the bath will work the same as what we suggest in our next paragraph with the freezer packs or bag of peas. But, we want you to do that step too.

Place something cold on your hives like a freezer pack or even a bag of peas for a minute or two. This should help minimize or stop the itch and reduce inflammation. We know – they are really itchy, but resist the urge to scratch. When you scratch, you create pain signals which tell your brain to produce serotonin. Serotonin can take away the itch, according to medicalnewstoday.com, but also just might activate a more intensified itching sensation. No thank you.

Now comes time for the anti-itch cream. When using these, make sure your hedgehog does not come into contact with the medication. This is only to be used after, when you are done holding your hedgehog and have already washed your hives. Using something like Benedryl anti-itch cream and cooling spray is a great solution, or the kids version for those 12 and under is available too.

If you are looking for something that also moisturizes the area afterwords as well as reduces swelling and itchiness, there is something that will do both and won't irritate your skin further. For that we recommend First Aid Beauty Anti-Itch moisturizing lotion, which was suggested to us by one of our readers who provided a photo for this article of her hedgie hives. With an Amazon Prime membership, you can get this lotion on the same day or the next day depending on your area, because it may not be available in your local pharmacy. After you have applied your desired anti-itch cream, again place something cool over your hives for a few minutes being careful not to rub the area, and your hives should go away within the hour.

Don't have the option of getting to a pharmacy immediately or need something now to help with the itch until your cream arrives? If you have any of the following on hand at home, you may get instant relief. Let us know below if any of these has helped you:

• Baking soda paste that is 1 part baking soda 3 parts water or;
• Bathe in oatmeal or make a paste mixed with a little water to be applied to the skin
• Aloe Vera and calamine lotion, according to health line, is also very effective in soothing the itch and reducing the hives

You may try taking antihistamines thirty minutes before handling your hedgie if allergies get you every time. Before it gets to that point though of constantly taking antihistamines, we'd rather you pinpoint your allergy. Head to the doctor for an allergy test and go from there. You may be allergic to something in your hedgehog's cage like their bedding or their litter. Or the maddening itch could also just be aggravated by something your hedgehog has anointed with, their saliva, or their other bodily excretions we know you know they make. In that case, you would want to increase the amount and type of washings that you give them.

We highly recommend attempting to litter train your hedgehog if they are not already, you can read how to do that here. We're sure you've seen the big mess on your hedgehog's quills after they party in their cage during the night. You know that poop boots are a real #hedgehogproblem, so giving them regular foot baths in either just water or a gentle baby wash will help your hedgehog stay cleaner. We do highly recommend adding something to your hedgehog's bath water, something our own Quilly uses – CBD oil pet drops! The research on the benefits of CBD oil are readily available right at your finger tips, but we go into more detail in a previous article that we wrote for you. In short; CBD oil has anti-histamine, antimicrobrial, moisturizing properties, among other helping things. happens to have anti-histamine properties inside it, . Lastly, checking your hedgehog for any kind of infection will be helpful if you cannot pinpoint the cause for your allergic reaction. Your hives may be an indication of mites or a fungal infection.

Our favorite trick is using unscented baby wipes to wipe their quills daily before handling them. If the hedgehog hives are still appearing on your skin, then their baths should be increased to once a week at most. Bathing any more than that risks trading your hedgehog hives for a hedgehog with dry skin. Like we mentioned in our bathing article, hedgehogs already have a problem with dry skin and baths really bring that out. So, wiping your hedgie down with a safe baby wipe is the perfect solution to removing debris from their quills to stop the cause of the allergy at its source!

Going even deeper, identifying what you are allergic to with your doctor can be an important step in minimizing hedgehog hives. Allergic to dust? Try dusting more and running an air purifier. If you are allergic to a certain food that your hedgie is eating, don't feed it that. Do you react to a certain material that your hedgehog uses, such as their bedding? It's time to use a different bedding or litter choice!

But, if you're like one of our own team members here at Heavenly Hedgies, you may have an allergy to the most common things and can't really avoid these allergens altogether. Luckily our team member rarely breaks out, but she is extra cautious and has a very well behaved and clean hedgehog – Quilly! This just reinforces an agreed upon fact among the community that if your hedgehog is mostly kept clean of any thing that can be poked and scratched into your skin, then the occurrence of hedgehog hives should be minimized.

Hedgehog hives are normal and happen to almost everyone. You may not know at first if you will be allergic to hedgehogs because that substance you'll react to isn't always on their quills. Starting at the basics is your best option for battling these maddening bumps, but with precautions, you are on your way to heavily reducing the amount of times you break out into hives. To you, we suggested:

• Wiping your hedgehog's quills clean daily
• Giving daily foot baths
• Bathing your hedgehog once a week
• Determining what you are exactly allergic to and removing or minimizing exposure to it
• Choosing the right anti-histamine cream
• Cooling down the hives to reduce them

If you find yourself constantly getting worse with your reactions to the hedgehog, then it may be time to re-home them. Let us know if you need to find an avenue where you can safely advertise your hedgehog to be re-homed, judgement free. Just contact us here and we can direct you. Let us know below what helped you the most with your hedgehog hives, and we will see you in the next article.