[AmityvilleHams]

Even the pet shop chocolate drops aren't healthy unfortunately. Fruits and veggies make much better treats and offer natural sources of vitamins and such without being loaded with really unhealthy things(added sugars, artificial flavors, etc). Plus, hamsters don't digest dairy which is another great reason to avoid these really awful treats!

I would also avoid using hamster balls. They don't offer any real enrichment for hamsters, and they pose some very real safety risks as well. A better option would be retiring the hamster ball for only being used in place of a mug or similar object to transfer a hamster from their cage to a playpen of some sort rather than letting a hamster actually run in the ball.

For some playpen options that actually let hamsters explore and freely choose where to go as well as not inhibiting the senses like hamster balls do, there are some really good options. Some people use large plastic storage bins which are a fairly affordable option although you do have to plan for storing that much more than some other choices. I wouldn't recommend storebought playpens as they're far too easy to escape, but you can make a playpen with cardboard if you want something easily replaced and free/very low cost. A similar option to cardboard playpens would be using coroplast which is essentially the plastic version of cardboard which happens to be far more durable and will not eventually get damaged from being folded too much, but it can be more expensive especially if you end up having to order it online since you may need to order large amounts that exceed the amount you need for one playpen. Some people also use a clean dry bathtub, but it isn't the most convenient choice nor does every person have a bathtub.

Please do keep in mind that hamsters can take a very long time to fully bond with humans, so don't get discouraged especially in the early days! Some hamsters are instantly accepting being held, pet, etc and those hamsters don't always have a settling in period, but those are not the typical situation when it comes to hamsters. Most hamsters take time to settle in as others have said, and then it can take weeks or months or even entire hamster lifetimes to fully bond.

It can be helpful to view things as bonding with your hamster rather than trying to make them "tame". Letting them set the pace and being able to read their body language and understand the exact moment they're not comfortable is very helpful, especially when it comes to being able to make the tiniest adjustments whenever needed or knowing when to take a step back(as you absolutely may end up needing to do) for example. Sometimes you can keep going after the step(s) back, other times you need to take a break, but it all depends on how comfortable an animal(in this case hamster) is at that exact moment with an exact situation. This can also help you avoid negative situations like putting an animal through too much stress, getting bit, etc. To clarify, the reason I use the vague term animal is because it absolutely applies to any animal I could possibly think of whether a dog, a hamster, or even a giant lizard and that's just a tiny amount of examples!