cedar shavings,tunnels

Question
ok well i bought my first hamster ever and i have fallen and love with it and i want the best for it. so naturally i am trading about the care of a hamster. i went out and bought some cedar shavings with very little dust.i read up on care of a hamster and it said that cedar shavings cause upper respiratory problems and could die. i have had it for a week now and she seems to  be doing fine. but how do i now if she really is. signs, symptoms?
i have a Russian hamster.and she is white and a bit on the heavy side. i got her some tunnels and things like that and went to install them on her cage and she went as far as half way up then stopped for about 5 minutes and went to sleep. so i took apart the tunnels and got her out of them. why is this. the package says its for hamsters? or could she had gone the whole way if i left her alone?

Answer
Hi Kortney,

Cedar shavings are very dangerous to hamsters (and other small animals).  They have strong aromatic oils which irritates the hamster's respiratory system.  The strong fragrance can make the hamster's nose be sore and bleed a lot, it can make the hamster sneeze constantly (and be miserable), and it can cause respiratory infections, which could be fatal.  So, you'll definitely want to switch beddings as soon as possible.  I always recommend Aspen or Carefresh beddings, as they are safe.  Avoid Pine, however, since it also has aromatic oils.  Be sure to wash the cage very thoroughly before you replace the bedding, to get all of the irritating scent out.

Hamsters love tunnels because it reminds them of their natural environment (dirt tunnels underground).  Some hamsters are a little frightened of them at first; most get over this fear and learn to enjoy them.  However, if you have a long, vertical tube, I would encourage you to break it up (if it can be separated) and make short vertical climbs.  Long vertical climbs and drops make a hamster nervous, because they don't have good depth perception.  Otherwise, give your hamster time, and I'm sure she'll eventually love her tunnels as 99% of hamsters do :)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly