[Ria P]

I did have an adopted dwarf hamster who was very disturbed when i got him and i also suspected bad treatment in a previous home.
He bit every chance he got and i never figured out why. He was ill and only lived another 8 months but i don't think his illness was the cause of the biting.
I didn't expect anything of him and all i wanted was to give him a better life.
As time went on he did become a bit happier and wasn't as stressed as he was at the beginning. I used to get him out of his cage in a mug which he really enjoyed and put him on my lap with a few sunflower seeds. I was able to gently stroke him then without him trying to bite. That's as far as we got.

It may be worthwhile for you to try this approach if you can find a safe area to sit with him on your lap.
I sat on the sofa next to his cage but the room i was in was hamster proof.
Some people sit in a bath tub but that freaked him out so i only tried that once. Maybe it was the light and it may work with a dim or candle light.