You may be allergic to your ferrets, but if this has just begun in
the last month you may be having trouble from the ragweed season
being worse this year in some areas than it often is. Do you also
have trouble after other very aerobic activities? You can go to this
allergy resource for info and to get your area pollen count:
http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?p=default

Have you tried changing the litter to see if that helps you?

Some people get good control from Claritin and I think that is sold OTC
now, though I don't know if that is in the same strength as it had been
by prescription, For me Allegra works (though my animal allergies don't
include ferrets). For more serious problems like asthma there are
Singulair (a very effective preventative, I've found) and inhalers.

Years back I used to have problems after our ferrets had a certain
treat which turned out to contain something i am allergic to so do
check ingredient labels.

Through the years I have noticed that people who don't have allergies
tend to underestimate how uncomfortable they can become if bad enough
and how much lung capacity is affected if there is asthma among the
allergies, BUT if your meds are affecting your ability to sleep it also
sounds like you haven't yet seen an allergist to look into medication
options and some of those can really open a person's world. So can
immunotherapy which sometimes is given in shots or sometimes sublingual
drops.

Never underestimate how much good medical care can help, nor how much
better some prescription meds are than most of the OTC ones!

If you are allergic to them and measures turn out to not be enough so
you must give up your little ones here are two shelter lists:

SOS Shelter List
http://www.supportourshelters.org/

AFA Shelter List
http://www.ferret.org/links/shelters.shtm

If you must leave them with a shelter, please, remember that shelters
always cost the people running them, both in their time and in money
because there are usually just not enough donations, so be sure to
donate money, please.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5722]