Re: afraid of hands
Hands can be very scary for a hamster. It can help to not drop a hand down on top of him, but approach from the side. The ability to do this will depend on what cage you have. If you only have a cage with an overhead access, try putting in a safe ramp up to the top and then work on enticing him up himself rather than the looming hand going down. In the wild Hamsters will be eaten by birds and even most other predators will be attacking from above so the fear is understandable.
Also the cage is the Hammies home and territory and it is not unusual for them to be unhappy with the intruding hand. If he's had a bad experience being chased around by a Hand that will only make it worse. Try using a mug or tube to lift him out rather than a hand. Hamsters love a tunnel, especially with some seeds in it, and once he goes in block off the entrances with your hands and lift the whole thing out. Some people use a Hamster ball for this too or a small carry cage. It is safer as less chance for him to wiggle free and fall, and less stressful than The Hand.
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