what do i do?

how do you know if your hamster has allergies
   

what signs are you seeing? do not use ceder shavings if you are.

Sneezing wheezing coughing. I would use Aspen wood chips. Pine or Cedar is toxic to small fury animals(rodents to put it bluntly). They have oils and dust in them that can affect their already fragile respiratory systems. Aspen is recommended for small animals and I use it myself for my rats. The wood shavings are very absorbent and help keep them warm. However you would have to clean your cage about once a week because wet wood does end up smelling. I clean mine twice a week because I own two rats so double the mess. If your hamster is sneezing wheezing and coughing take him to the vet first to make sure it isn't an upper respiratory infection. (Which have the same signs including lethargic behavior, loss of appetite and sometimes even excessive water drinking although no illness will have ALL the same symptoms). If it is allergies the vet will tell you what to do. If I were you I would research the breed of small animal you have. Before I got my rats I researched EVERYTHING possible from what to feed them and health problems to housing, socialization and behavior. I researched rats for at least 6 hours a day for half a week before getting them so by then I kind of knew what to expect.