What is a ‘tame’ hamster?

[RedTiger]

I’m wondering what would be considered a tame hamster - can you get them to sit calmly on your hand or would it just be them being comfortable with being handled?

My new hamster is fine with being handled, she’ll walk into my hand no problem although once she’s on there she’s constantly on the move and running up my arms, inside my hoodie etc (which I would assume is normal hamster behaviour?!). I’m not sure what I should be doing re taming, videos I’ve seen start with hand feeding them to get them used to you but she is already ok with this. With continued handling will she sit better (ie stiller!) in my hand? What should I be doing to tame her? I’ve only had her a few days so other than the handling / interaction we had when we brought her home I’ve mainly been leaving her to settle. I got her out for a few minutes last night, she always seems really keen to get out but she’s so fast!

[cypher]

Young hams are very active & most aren't really interested in being held, they'd much rather be off exploring & just doing stuff!
In general females do tend to be even more active than males & can be quite hyper, some will calm down a lot with age & be more likely to enjoy sitting still for cuddles but not all, it's an individual thing.
If your ham will sit on your hand & is ok with being handled then she's pretty much tame already, I would continue handling her but don't expect her to sit still much for a while yet.

[HamsterOfficial]

A tame hamster is a hamster who is comfortable and doesn't bite or show signs of stress being handled. An active hamster doesn't mean that the hamster is not tame.

[Pebbles82]

I'd describe a tame hamster as one you can pick up and hold and they accept it without trying to wriggle free or ping 2 feet in the air. So yours sounds quite tame Active is normal. They often don't sit still for long and if they do it's probably because they're feeling dopey. Having said that if she is "running away" type active then it may be more about familiarity taming.

Some hamsters are already hand tame as such but not used to being handled by you - they need to gain familiarity with your presence, voice and scent. A lot of people recommend the tissue trick for this. Put some sheets of toilet paper up your sleeve against your skin for a couple of hours then tear them into strips and put the heap in the cage somewhere so your hamster pouches some and takes it to her nest - your scent will be in her nest and become more familiar. Also keep talking to her. Have little conversations while she's in the cage. Tell her she's a good girl and beautiful and clever She'll start recognising your voice and also the tone when she's being praised (likewise the pick up on negativity and harsh tones which can help prevent a bond if they don't feel safe with someone).

[RedTiger]

Good, seems like she is pretty tame then. She is around 6 months old but I don’t know her history, presumably she was fairly well handled in her previous home. My sons need a bit more practice at handling her, she’s so fast that they can’t keep up lol. Plenty time to work on that though