Anxious dwarf hammie // PLEASE HELP

[Gabixaurus]

I got a Russian dwarf hamster about 5 months ago. I did a lot of research and in the first week, i left him alone. After that, I slowly started taming him (putting a treat on my palm, placing my hand in the cage and waiting patiently) but completely failed, because my hammie kept either nibbling on my fingers, or jumping off my hands as soon as i tried to move them. He was very afraid of his surroundings (which was understandable, thus I left him to adapt on his own) After a while, I gave up, because he always freaked out as soon as I got in contact with him. After 3 months, I noticed he was still afraid of a lot of things. E.g. every time I give him a treat he grabbed it and started rushing to his nest or one of the tubes. Most of the times, he freezes when i get close to the cage. But now, he's not scared of my hands, but still bites them quite aggressively. After a while, I read that putting more toys and giving him more tissue would make him feel safer, but that only made him even more nervous. I usually get scared of him, because I know he will bite me, but I still try to regularly play with him (with his favourite toys- toilet rolls )

He seems to be healthy, i do daily check-ups on him whenever I get a chance to. I really don't know how to help him or calm him down and his anxiety seems to be getting worse every day. What should I do?

[CMB]

The biteing could be cage aggression. He may bite less or not at all when out of his cage. You could use a ball, box and let him climb in. The lift him out of the cage in that, before letting him come out of the box etc onto your hand.

[Cinnamon Bear]

What cage do you have him in?

[Princess Pixie]

If you've got a big cage, lots of enrichment, then thsts probably just him and that's his personality. I've got a WW and he doesn't like being handled, not aggressive, just gets stressed out, so I actually never handle him other than his weekly health check.
You could try posting a picture of your set up for the more experienced folk here to help but personally I'd leave him be.

[MissJeliza]

It might be worth starting over in the taming process,
It could help you to build some trust between yourself and your Hamster,

Go back to basics,
Leave him for a couple of days,
Talk to him reassuringly for a day or 2,
Offer food from your hand,
If he takes it nicely, gently praise him, Give him another,
If he doesnt, leave it for the day and try again tomorrow,
Try the tissue trick, Keep a unused tissue up your sleeve for a few hours and at the end of the day tear it up and give it to him for bedding. This will help him get used to your scent,
When feeding him treats rub your hands in his bedding first so you smell like his cage.

If he is taking food then put some in your hand and let him come to you,
If he bites, try not to take it personally.
When he comes onto your hand gently tip him back onto the ground,
When he starts sitting on your hand slowly move your hand up and then down.

If you try these things it might help to start the process again

Some Hamsters can be very nervous and bitey because they are scared,
my Igor was like this for the first few months, I had to take everything VERY SLOWLY, It felt like we weren't getting anywhere but after a few months of slow taming he is now a lot better,
he will sit on my hand, he occasionally still bites but he is just getting used to you.

It will be worth it in the end, i promise.
just stick at it,

[cypher]

If you have a photo of his cage set up that might help us see if there is anything you could change there that might help.
I agree with CMB that it might be worth trying to handle him out of the cage, it sounds more like just fear than aggression but as long as he's in a safe place where you can sit with him, a playpen is ideal, it may be worth a try.
It's never too late to go back to basics, do the tissue trick, just talk to him quietly without interacting any more than that for a few days then gradually reintroduce your hand with a treat & try to slowly build up his confidence.
Is there anything in his environment that might make him nervous, other animals for example or a lot of people or noise around?

[Gabixaurus]

Originally Posted by Cinnamon Bear

What cage do you have him in?

I have a 70 x 90 cm bin cage without the lid

Originally Posted by MissJeliza

It might be worth starting over in the taming process,
It could help you to build some trust between yourself and your Hamster,

Go back to basics,
Leave him for a couple of days,
Talk to him reassuringly for a day or 2,
Offer food from your hand,
If he takes it nicely, gently praise him, Give him another,
If he doesnt, leave it for the day and try again tomorrow,
Try the tissue trick, Keep a unused tissue up your sleeve for a few hours and at the end of the day tear it up and give it to him for bedding. This will help him get used to your scent,
When feeding him treats rub your hands in his bedding first so you smell like his cage.

If he is taking food then put some in your hand and let him come to you,
If he bites, try not to take it personally.
When he comes onto your hand gently tip him back onto the ground,
When he starts sitting on your hand slowly move your hand up and then down.

If you try these things it might help to start the process again

Some Hamsters can be very nervous and bitey because they are scared,
my Igor was like this for the first few months, I had to take everything VERY SLOWLY, It felt like we weren't getting anywhere but after a few months of slow taming he is now a lot better,
he will sit on my hand, he occasionally still bites but he is just getting used to you.

It will be worth it in the end, i promise.
just stick at it,

Thank you, I will try