Thanks, everyone! Yes, Jerseygirl, I think you’re right about the dominance – it’s not clear. Athena keeps presenting and yesterday Teddy did start grooming her (! ), and she doesn’t groom him back. But because he is the braver of the two, he usually chases her, rather than v.v., and they’ll both try to steal food from each other. I’ve seen him try to mount her only once, a few days ago, and she just kept hopping away. Now he seems to mostly just want to sniff her, but she doesn’t go for that either. Hence the chasing – but it’s very slow, half-hearted chasing.

Yeah, the first one or two really good days I just let them run around wherever. I do live in a 2-room apartment so that is not saying much… but then the past day or two I realized it might be better for bonding and for keeping the newcomer tame to keep them in the exercise pen more, so I’ve been doing that (although I have kept its doors to Athena’s condo and Teddy’s pen open… is that bad? It upsets Athena if her condo door gets closed with her outside), and just letting them have a quick run around the apartment in the morning and then a little longer one in the evening. Should I confine them more?

I’m not sure if Athena’s the one you’re thinking about, but I’d say Athena’s agouti (with white) – she’s the bun on the right in the picture – but she does have a 5-storey condo. ?

thanks again!

I *am* lucky!! Athena has even started grooming Teddy sometimes (I think she’s just more social, and he’s more rambunctious). I bet next time I try to bond bunnies I’ll be in for a surprise!

of course! he was actually fixed 2 weeks ago, by the shelter, before I met him. (I know I should have maybe waited longer to bond them, but they were doing so well…) Athena was fixed in December.

but just this evening Teddy started circling Athena and making these little cooing noises like a cross between a dove and a guinea pig. (;

I know I’m lucky with these two; I know this is anomalous. (And who knows how it might be different in a few more weeks once Teddy has fewer hormones in his system?)

thanks again!

Thanks for this, BinkyBunny!

So actually they’ve been going in and out of each other’s pens for about a week now with no signs of aggression. I found this out by accident on day 2 – I had a friend come over to meet Teddy and she was holding him (this was back in the old days when he like to be held and then put him down on the floor before I could stop her – and he hopped right over into Athena’s condo, where she was!! I was afraid because I knew this was a big no-no, especially for a new male to go into an established female’s territory… but she wasn’t aggressive at all, just hopped away from him a little (like, “who is this stinky boy?”) but didn’t go far. I did get him out after half a minute or so.

But a day or two after that I let them hang out in the x-pen with the doors to each of their (adjoining) pens open to it, and they’ve been just going back and forth, playing in one and then the other, using each other’s litterboxes and eating each other’s food, etc. And then yesterday after Teddy started really courting Athena (circling, cooing, snuggling, grooming), they really kind of fell in love and spend much of the evening snuggling and grooming. So I (wince… I know this was very soon) let them spend their first night together in Athena’s condo last night. (It is very large, so plenty of space to avoid fighting…). I checked on them an hour or so after bedtime and they were snuggling together with Teddy sort of sleeping on Athena’s shoulder. I was sleeping in the very next room (there’s not even a door) and I didn’t hear any commotion in the night, and this morning they were just as usual (playing together, didn’t seem upset, didn’t even leave their condo right away when I opened the door). I’ll be sure to keep an eye on things, though, and not leave them together when I can’t be home.

I’m so glad you asked about Teddy’s litter habits!! They are *atrocious*, but with a pattern: he doesn’t poop just anywhere – never outside their pen areas, and he’s easing up on pooping in the x-pen – but he does poop just all over Athena’s condo and his pen (though I’m thinking of taking down his pen now). He *also* uses his litterboxes, and I think that now for the *most* part he does use them to urinate (though until a few days ago, at least, he would pee in Athena’s condo to mark!)… But what can I do to encourage him to get better about all this? Athena has been quite the little lady about litter habits from the start, so this is unfamiliar territory for me.

Thanks again!! I sooo appreciate all the help and advice.