Taming Tips

Question
Hi Heather, I have read tips on taming but I do still have a couple questions. My hammie is a rescue hamster from a shelter, I'm not sure how old but he is on the younger side, his teeth are still white, I'm guessing 6 months. He's a long hair syrian. I've had him a month and work with him every evening. He's sooo nervous. He will take treats from me sometimes but avoids my hand at all cost. He completely ignores me and continues to run on his wheel.  I set his cage on the floor and set up a little pen outside his door so he could come out, sometimes he'll venture out, other times he won't. He's so twitchy, he's obviously scared half to death. When I touch him he's jumpy, but a couple times he just flopped over and played dead until I moved my hand away. I've only ever read about that in a book. I feel badly for him and I don't know what he's been through. Should I allow him out in the pen before he accepts my hand or did I get ahead of myself? I've been able to pick him up a couple times but it obviously distresses him. Am I moving too fast?  I want to help him not traumatize him. Any suggestions or encouragement would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Answer
It's great you accepted a rescue ham into your life. 6 months old is fully grown for a hamster, so if you have ever seen a full grown ham around 6 inches long, your ham is 6+ months. If he is smaller then that, he is not yet an adult, and is under 6 months of age. Young hamsters are always skiddish creatures, I have never encountered one that was enthusiastic about a hand in their cage, and most will run away. Your on the right track offering him treats from your hand, he will start to learn that the hand represents good things. Some hamsters will tame in a few weeks, and others can take months to warm up to their owners, patience is the best thing to give him. It's an awesome sign that he does allow you to pick him up at all, but I would move a little slower then that. Keep hand feeding, don't make any grabs for him, and just get him used to the idea of a hand around him. Once he is comfortable sniffing and touching your hand to get a treat, try laying the palm flat and seeing if he will take a treat by crawling on your hand. Also while the ham is eating the treat, you can try stroking his fur lightly. Once he seems ok with your hand, you can try scooping him up and slowly lifting him within the cage, before moving him out of the cage.
This website is one I offer to a lot of new tamers:

http://www.hammysworld.com/index.php?p=handling