I was telling a friend of mine about cedar shavings and how they cause upper respiratory problems in ferrets and that's why I use old towels, etc in my critters' cage, and he asked if it would cause problems for hamsters as well. His little fuzzy seems to be breathing funny - what would you recommend instead for his friend. I said maybe pine - but ultimately told him to get rid of the cedar and I'd let him know what you all thought would be best. Also, Nik ripped about three-quarters of the way through one of his toe- nails yesterday morning. I'm not exactly sure how it happened - all I heard was that panicky, owowowowow chittering and by the time I got to him, he had pulled loose from whatever he had caught himself on (I was in the next room). It ripped from below right near the base and bled a fair amount until I could clean it up and put a little pressure on it to stop the bleeding. I managed to use a bit of hydrogen peroxide and bandage it and the next toe together to keep the nail from getting caught on anything else and hopefully, help it heal. It seems better today - he's actually leaving the bandage alone and seems to be no worse for wear. I plan on keeping a close eye on it and at the first sign of swelling, infection, etc - off to the vet! Any other suggestions from the vets out there?? Thanks for any help you give. Happy ferret dancing! Georgette (29ish) and her tribe of four D. Pasquino/G. Peters Toronto, Ontario [Posted in FML issue 1348]