Timothy hay is well known to cause allegies in people. I’m allergic to timothy myself, so I give my bun orchard and oat hay in the bedroom. He gets a little bit of timothy in the living room, because I’m mostly bothered when I sleep (I cough and cough endlessly). Hay is very variable, so some batches can be dustier/have more pollen than others. So it makes sense you react more to some hay boxes than to others.

I would advise you to try and steer clear of timothy hay. You seem to have a pretty bad allergy to timothy, so for the sake of your health (allergic reactions take a toll on the immune system), you should try and switch hay. Try to clean out every trace of the old hay as best you can from the bunny room. Wear a dust mask if you have to. Rabbits don’t absolutely have to have timothy, any grass hay that is good for horses is good for rabbits. Australian rabbits never get timothy hay because it doesn’t grow there and it’s very, very expensive to import. The only hay that should be avoided is alfalfa and clover (legume hays), it’s too rich for adult buns. It’s good for young, growing buns though.

i know we have one person here that’s doing monthly allergy shots, so far they’ve not seen improvement.

I agree with Bam, switching to another type of hay is the best way to ease the reaction. I was hoarse for two weeks with Olaf before I realized it was the timothy hay he came with. I switched to orchard grass and it seems to cause a less severe allergy reaction for me and he likes it to eat. Oat is also good.

You definitely have the right idea wearing gloves when you handle the hay. I would also suggest a mask, especially when moving the hay or handling it at all. I wash my hands super well afterwards and sometimes my face, too, in case it was floating around.

I find that cleaning any old hay or stray bits is super important as the old stuff gets musty fast. A hand-vac is your friend! A humidifier and HEPA air fliter may also be good investments if you want to be super careful. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried allergy shots and have been just using Allegra and eye drops to cope. Olaf’s cage is in my living room so it keeps him away from my bedroom, sheets, etc.

Good luck!

For now the solution is switching hay. Allergy shots do help, often a lot, but they rarely completely fix the problem and treatment can take years. It would be a convenience if you could buy something with a little timothy hay without it causing a problem so it might be worth getting shots, especially if you have other allergies you want to tamp down.

Minimize your exposure to timothy for now because inhaling an antigen often worsens allergies. Unfortunately sometimes buns take a while to switch foods – and then sometimes they gorge on the new hay like it’s the Best Stuff Ever! You will just have to see.