500 grms is by no means a benchmark weight for males, yes some can breed at that weight BUT if you breed them that small you may have a hard time getting them to eat when they NEED to eat .. Starting them off breeding at 500 grms doesn't give you any room for error if he has a hard time getting back on feed after your done breeding him.. Some males will continue to eat when they are young and some won't , the problem with that is you can't tell which ones will breed and feed and which ones will only breed and not feed, the only way to tell what the male is capable of is to try breeding him, just because he's a good feeder doesn't guarantee he'll eat when he's been around females.. With that being said I would NOT try breeding a male under 600 grms (unless he's real close to that weight AND he is short and thick in overall size and not long and thin) in case he ends up being one of the many males that won't eat for several months if he's near the girls, that way he at least has the weight to carry him thru for some time if he won't eat.. Males over 600 grms will generally do alot better than males under 600 grms . If you want to keep them around for breeding next year you really need to pay attention to your males that are under 600 grms.. Not all males are created equal either so you really need to know your males well before introducing them to females, weight isn't everything , it just gives you something to compare against. Age is every bit if not more important than weight I think (assuming he's obviously over 600 grms that is)... Anthony McCain...

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