I know that cedar and pine are, but I just made I hamster cage out of plywood that I JUST found out it made up of southern yellow pine. I'm 95% sure I'm screwed and have to make a new one, but just in case it's a certain type (probably not), is it harmful to syrians?
I'm sorry, you'll have to build a new cage! Pine and cedar (as stated by other answerer) are very toxic to small animals and cause respiratory illnesses.
You might try building the cage with different materials. Wood cages get smelly and shabby since they absorb liquids and can't be sanitized the way plastic or metal can. They also can be easily chewed. I recommend using metal or plastic. If that's too ugly for you, you can build a decorative wooden frame for it to hide whichever metal you use.
no pine is one of the worst. its a soft wood and will not hold up for one and two not recommended because of their sensitive respiratory systems. use aspen if wood is a must. cedar is really rough and really really not recommended for small animals.
