my hamsters behaviour

Question
Hi. I recently got a Russian dwarf hamster and it's my first hamster.. I am worried about its behavior, during the day when it's not very active, it lets me stroke it and doesn't jump up like it did in the beginning.. However at night (which is usually the time when it decides to use the wheel), it looks like it's trying to get away from me(at least I get that impression) because it stops and looks at me and then carries on running and does the same thing over and over..Why does it look like it's so scared of me at night when during the day it doesn't have a problem with me stroking it? I often wonder if it lets me stroke it in the hope that I will eventually leave it alone!! Also I own two cats and make sure they keep away from it but I'm worried that it can smell them and I don't want to get rid of either of the cats or the hamster...

Answer
Hi Pauline,

your hamster is acting completely normal. They are naturally little escape artists that will try to wriggle free most of the time. Your hamster will be more submissive during the day because its tired and doesn't have the energy to protest. The more you handle it the less scared its gonna appear. also, keep in mind that they don't have great eyesight, so touching them before the notice your near, will make them jump. they do, however have a good sense of smell and it can most likely smell the cats on your hands, so always wash them before you handle your hamster, this should help too :)

best of luck and thanks for your question.

Joanne x