[Fluffagrams]

Try not to worry, even the most experienced hamster owners have had hamsters that have taken longer to tame but the most important thing is to go at a pace that both you and your hamsters are comfortable with.

At the moment I would give Skelly a couple of days to relax and during this time you can just concentrate on talking to her in a soft voice. You can try the tissue but I've never found that it has made any difference. When she seems calmer you can try to start handling her again... if she's feeling quite territorial in her cage then it's best to do this outside of the cage. You can use a mug or something to carry her to the area where you're going to do your taming. I often use a washing up bowl sized container when taming young Chinese but some hamsters may prefer a larger space such as a bathtub and others may prefer a smaller space such as a carrier. To start with I usually just start with stroking them gently and once they feel comfortable enough to have you touching them, then I'll try to pick them up, only slightly, just off the ground. If they try to wriggle out of my hands then I let them hop down, give them a minute or two and just try again. At this point you're trying to reassure them that you're not out to 'get' them. I keep the sessions quite short to begin with and then allow them some fun time playing in the playpen/playbox before returning them to their cage. I don't tend to give treats during the taming activities because it can sometimes make a nibbly hamster worse as they can learn to associate you with food and prefer to put a treat in their cage ready for them to find when you put them back.

Hamsters can sense apprehension so a slower approach may help both of you to get your confidence back.