Yesterday we re-did the bunny area (got rid of a nic cube cage that wasn’t working out, and added an xpen), and progressed on the bonding. Previously they had been playful and cuddly, grooming each other etc. When we first put them in the new pen there was some brief humping (Jojo to Pep) during the first 15 minutes or so. The vet said that as long as the humpee can get away, and doesn’t turn to start boxing at/fight with the humper, it’s fine. They spent a lot of time running around and binkying (this is the first time they’ve had this much space, the biggest they’d had was one xpen. They would alternate play times in it, but then it became Pep’s full-time home about a month ago and we decided that the cage Jojo was in was way too small for him).

There hasn’t been any fighting or aggression, that I’ve seen. No ears back, no grunting, no thumping, etc. BUT Pep runs away from Jojo almost every time he goes up to her (it has gotten better, now he can get pretty close, and as long as he leaves her alone she will stay put). Although right now there is some face grooming happening, so that’s a good sign. I’ve noticed it a few times, Jojo can get close enough to groom her face and they’ll do that a bit, then she’ll take off. (Omg he just tried to hump her face. I said “Jojo, fssht, no!” in a deep voice and he stopped. Pep got out form under him, and is sitting about 8 inches away with her back turned. 

Anyway, he likes to follow her around. Once she was in the purple igloo and he squished in there with her, which she promptly ran out.Then this morning she was sitting in it and he slowly sidled closer and closer until he was sitting alongside it and stayed like that for a good 20 minutes. 

This was them just now, they sat like this for a few minutes before Pep took off (Jojo is on the left, and Pep is on the right).

Jojo also does this really cute thing, where if anything scares him (a loud noise, etc) he RUNS straight to Pep, and they both freeze. For example, right before I started this post Jojo was playing with toys:

and Pep was being a grump behind the hideaway:

Then the stupid cat knocked something over across the room and:

Anyway, I’m hoping Pep will warm up to Jojo. They’ve been together for about 27 hours now. I’m kind of worried that Peps evasions could turn aggressive, if Jojo gets too persistent/she gets too fed up. I’m thinking that just to be safe, while my girlfriend and I are at work during the day we will close up the two pens so they are beside each other, but can’t get to each other. Then put them together again while we’re home and at night. Then starting Friday at 4pm they can be together all weekend and see how it goes from there.