Allergic to bearded dragons?

[popsickle18]

Hey everyone. I am an experienced dragon owner. I have had bearded dragons since I was 11, I'm 21 now. I remember getting rash-like bumps where my first dragon rubbed against me. They would go away rather quickly. The new dragon I have had since June has caused the same reaction, but it will stay for longer and sometimes produce welts and the area heats up too. It is worse if the most prickly parts rub against me like the sides of his body, sides of his face, and his nails of course. Is there such a thing as being allergic to bearded dragons? Has anyone else ever had this reaction?

Thanks for reading

 

[dragonscales]

I am allergic to just about everything but my dragon. It could be something in the enclosure that gets on the dragon that you are allergic to. A good way to tell is to take things out one by one and narrow it down by process of elimination. You would be able to tell if it is the dragon or something it comes in contact that you are allergic to.

 

[popsickle18]

I never thought of that! Thanks for the suggestion. I've been having weird reactions to things overall lately it hasn't been just around my dragon. I've been getting hives and doctors can't figure out anything. I just chalked it up to stress from school. I have a huge work load at all times and also my college schooling is coming to a close.

I hope I can figure it out soon! I hate being all red and irritated after holding my boy.

By the way your bearded dragon is beautiful!!

 

[jacody]

I get the same bumps and can't figure out why either.. her furnishings are pretty simple and are cleaned on a reg. basis... mine are usually right on the underside of my wrist where I hold her to my body w/ that particular hand and holding the banister going downstairs w/ the other.. they do go away fast.. glad I'm not the only one w/ the same thing.. only thing I can think of is the powdered vit/supplements that are sometimes on her snout and chin and on her log and slate sometimes too??

 

[popsickle18]

I've been getting them ever since I was little. They are different dragons too, so it can't be dragon specific. The best guess I have it that the texture of the scales is just irritating to the skin which causes the redness and bumps. I've never gotten puffiness from it though, until now! I did mention it to my doctor that I got a new reptile and he brushed it off and asked if I got anything new with with fur. I then asked if you can be allergic to reptiles and he said that he didn't know. :?

 

[Lauram63110]

I've wondered if someone could be allergic to them also, so this question is very interesting to me.

Let me start by asking about your dragon's living conditions. Does it poop in the tank? If so, how often is it cleaned? what kind of substrate do you use? I've seen them in tanks with sand and we all know that any liquid can seep into that sand. Then they are essentially like a cat walking around in a used cat box. I've seen some that seem to have something caked under their claws. If the tank isn't cleaned often, we all can imagine just what it is that is caked under their claws. Then you hold them, and they scratch you. And whatever is under their claws is now in that scratch. YUK!

A lot people potty train them to go in a bath, and then dump the bath water. Mine is potty trained and she learned it easily. I'd call that an improvement, but I go one step further and rinse the dragon after it's pooped in the water. You can also buy a very mild soap and use that on them (just a drop!). The link below is for the soap:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=180

I never have any rash or allergy symptoms when I hold mine, but I think it is due to her bathing routine and me rinsing her afterward. I remember the first dragon that I ever got having what I considered a "dirty reptile smell" the first time I held him. I didn't know about bathing them, then, but I did read up on it after having him for about a week, and he took to potty training easily. After he died, I got my current girl as an adult, and she, too, learned very quickly. I really believe that it keeps them cleaner ( think about all of the times you've been reminded that they can carry salmonella- could this help reduce the salmonella risk?) and if you do have sensitive skin, it may be helpful for you. I'd be interested in anyone else's opinons on this topic, too!

 

[rlevans]

Just my input I am allergic to greens (collard, mustard so on) all I have to do get close enough for it to barey touch me and I break out so if I were you I would look into the food you feed your baby as well!

 

[Lauram63110]

That is a great point, about the allergy to greens!

 

[jacody]

Mine is not on sand and I use a disinfectant from beardeddragon.co.. yes, she does poop in the tank and I do clean all surfaces w/ that disinfectant..

 

[popsickle18]

Thanks for the information Lauram63110! My dragon is on sand and yes he does use the bathroom in there most of the time, unless he happens to go in the bath. If he does go in the bath then I wash him off after I dump the water. I clean the tank thoroughly once a week; sifting the sand, get any chunks out, and replace the dirty sand every few weeks. I know many people are against sand, but my current dragon and the one before that never had problems with impaction because I put the food on a large tile in the center of the tank and they eat off of there All of his cage furniture is cleaned once a week too. Thank you for the link to the soap! I may just have to get some of that to see if it will help.

I'm sure I cannot get out all of the poo from the dragon after every cleaning. Perhaps the stuff that remains, no matter how little there may be, I react to it. My dragon is kept very clean though, so there is nothing caking onto him . I scrub him with a soft tooth brush during every bath to make sure he is squeaky clean!

Also, thanks rlevans for your input at well! I haven't noticed any allergic reactions when handling greens but maybe it doesn't kick in right away. It could be that.

 

[Jchaspel]

You may also want to look into what you're cleaning the cage with. I often have skin reactions to soaps and cleaners. If you clean the cage and your beardie sits in that area she may get some residue on her. Even if it's natural, doesn't mean you're not allergic to something in it. Maybe try cleaning with diluted vinegar for a bit and see if that helps.

 

[popsickle18]

Jchaspel good point! I usually clean his cage furniture with a little drop of dawn dish soap and I clean his cage with water for spot cleaning. I was worried to use any household cleaners for fear that they could hurt him.