is it ok to breed a male for the first time at 8 months

[Matty Day]

as I am thinking ahead is it ok to breed a male for the first time at 8 months as I want to try and keep numbers as low as possible so i can spend as much time as possible with each hamster

[I_am_plankton]

males can bred at whatever time There is a limit on females as if they are too young their bodies won't be developed to cope, whereas too old will mean that the pelvis has fused and the strain will be too much

[Mollz]

Yep, I agree with I-a-p, males can breed at any time - although I did read somewhere that they may become infertile after a certain age (don't worry it was much older than 8 months!), although don't quote me on that as I have only ever heard it once.

[Holly]

They do become infertile after a certain age - usually around 18 months but it can be sooner or later than that. Also I've read that the strain of mating can be too much for much older males - eight months is fine though

[babyboos]

8 months is a fine age to breed a male at, even for the first time

[Spacemonkey]

My Smurf has just fathered his first litter, on his first attempt, at 22 months old

[Mollz]

Originally Posted by Spacemonkey

My Smurf has just fathered his first litter, on his first attempt, at 22 months old

Wow, he did well for his age!

[Matty Day]

phew that means i can get away with keeping one boy per litter
and also means i can have only one litter per year if i want to stablising numbers and keeping my hamster community small. a while still carrying on my lines and showing!