violet, my other rabbit

Question
hi its evie again.(on the  first one you called me emily, i dont blame you, thousands of people, it gets confusing)anyway, i have another rabbit, we once put violet and roo in the same cage, and my girl rabbit got fatter. we looked on the enternet, no good info. i was hoping if you would know how to tell me if my rabbit is pregnant.

Answer
Dear Evie,

If Roo is a cottontail, then he cannot successfully impregnate a domestic rabbit.  They are different species, and cannot interbreed.  (In fact, they are different genera:  Roo--if he's a cottie--is Sylvilagus virginianus, and Violet is Oryctolagus cuniculus).

However, Violet should be spayed for her health and longevity.  You can read more about this here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

If Violet *is* pregnant, it might not be easy to tell until she's about to give birth (gestation is 28-31 days).  At that point, look for movement in her belly, and for behavior that signifies the onset of "kindling" (giving birth in rabbits).  I hope she's not pregnant, but just in case, you can read this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html

Hope that helps!

Dana