Can all female hamsters breed?

Question
Hi,
I just got a hamster and am considering breeding it. Yes, it's a girl,but I got it at a petstore and my mom's friend told me that hamsters get shots so they can't have babies. Is this true? I hope not! =(

P.S.=I have a long-haired  teddy bear hamster  

Answer
Dear Kat,
thank you for your question.
I wish that this was true, there would be much fewer petstore pregnancies. There's no such thing as a contraceptive for hamsters or other rodents. It might be that your hamster is pregnant already, many petshops don't bother keeping males and females separated.

If you really want to breed hamsters, I recommend joining a hamster club or at least looking for other good breeders in your area. They will be able to give advice and help you getting started. Here's one for examlpe:
http://www.geocities.com/CalHamAssoc/index.html

You will need to learn about genetics, that's very important because there are for example some genetic combinations that cause stillbirths or malformed babies (eyeless, for example). That why I don't recommend breeding with your hamster, you have no way of knowing what genes she carries.
Here's some more info on hamster genetics:
http://www.soehamsterclub.com/hamgene.html

You may also have problems finding good homes for all the babies - a litter can be as big as 10 or 12 babies. Many people are quick to say that they will take a baby, but a lot less will actually do so. While it's certainly nice to see hamster babies grow up, there are a lot of unwanted hamsters out there already and I can only urge that you rethink your plan.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer