Anon posted: > what are the signs that you may be allergic to ferrets? 1. If the ferret's claws come into contact with your skin, you develop a skin reaction - usually slight - of itching and redness. 2. Sneezing. Go figure. :) 3. Sometimes, asthma. My ferrets definitely, without question, trigger my asthma. 4. Sometimes, a direct skin reaction to a particularly oily ferret. This is not a problem if the ferret is kept clean by changing its bedding regularly. Mostly the problems i have are asthma and when my ferrets climb up to perch on my shoulders - the skin on my neck gets MILDLY irritated by their claws. Very mildly - I keep their claws quite blunt. My skin is easily much more irritated by beards or mustaches. :) When their claws are sharp, i have serious problems, although much less so than with rats - if i get scratched by a rat, the area is swollen all day. Melissa [Posted in FML issue 1719]