Breeding weight

[Brian_Sutton]

Just curious on the breeding weight for a male ball. A friend of mine had success breeding his male at 450 grams but have heard lots of differant opinions on this. Any input would be appreciated.

[Wh00h0069]

The smallest I have every heard was 300 grams, but most is over 500 grams. I don't think that weight matters too much. If the male is producing sperm, and can figure out what to do, then I say go ahead and breed him. Just keep a close eye on him if he is smaller.

Hope this helps.

[MarkS]

I've bred males at around 300g and 6 months old. Whether or not he wants to breed is really up to him, some will and some won't. The only real problem with breeding young males is that they're still growing and don't have a lot of energy reserves, many will also quit feeding while in breeding mode so they'll quit growing as well. They can wear themselves down and be more susceptible to getting sick so don't push them real hard. Keep an eye on their weight and if they start to lose any, quit breeding them and remove them to a different room where they can't smell any females so you can try to get them feeding again. If you don't have a lot of breeding experience it's probably best to wait until next year when he's larger.

[Spaniard]

If he's producing sperm I wouldn't see the harm in pairing him, however you have to make sure that they eat everytime they are separated from the females. If they don't eat when separated I would hold off pairing him again until he's had another meal.

[Brian_Sutton]

Here is the deal. I have 1.1 100% het albinos. Male 454 grams and female 815 grams. No no breeding this year with them. I do have a normal female 1708 grams and am shopping around for a male pastel. I know I have to quarantine for 3 months. Just trying to figure out what size to purchase with the hopes of pairing them this coming winter. Suggestions?

[kc261]

You could potentially put the het albino male with the normal and get some phet albinos this season, but I like the fact that you don't seem in a hurry.

Almost any '08 male that you pick up will be ready to breed next winter, at least in terms of size, assuming you feed him and he eats for you. Whether or not he decides to do his thing you can't predict.

If you wait for '09s, I'd try to get an earlier one to make sure he has plenty of time to mature, and feed him slightly aggressively.