Hello out there!

I just recently got a new rabbit for my bun of 3 years, Chappie, she’s a Lionhead. Our new rabbit, Mellow, is a mini-lop mix, according to the rabbit shelter we got him from, and he is the nicest, sweetest little guy! When the two first met he was the one that Chappie was the most relaxed with, so we brought him home. We are only about a week and a half into the bonding and we’ve noticed that during the sessions, Chappie nips at Mellow after a period of time. She’s not biting hard, and only once has she pulled a little of his fur. We stop them as soon as they start circling, both are fixed, and we’ve been doing the sessions in an upstairs bathroom, as we live on the bottom floor. She mostly ignores Mellow, and she’s even given him some small grooming on his head. You see he like to lay under her belly and her chin, seeking attention and wanting grooming. Mostly she doesn’t care, but after awhile she starts to nip at him. He does a small jump and then immediately goes back to laying under her chin, and so on and so forth. When they go to sniff at each other, face to face, Chappie will nip him and he will lay under her. She has groomed herself around him and he has done the same to himself. He likes to layout behind her as well and she doesn’t mind that. She eyes us a lot during the sessions. I mostly look at other things so she will do her own thing. During one bonding session Mellow got really confident and mounted her. She didnt like it, she actually jumped into my lap. She jumps away from him and we are very nervous about this since she could hurt herself. This bathroom has no bathtub but it does have tile floor, we put a towel down to keep them comfortable.

I have a few thoughts about her behaviors but I cannot find any info on my particular problem anywhere! Most people complain about bad fighting and biting aggressively, I’m not sure if this is what she is doing, she seems to say “I want licks!” Or “get away you!” And he is never discouraged by her nips. I understand that right now they are sorting out their dominance, but Mellow has yet to groom Chappie at all. Perhaps she wants grooming and is upset because she’s not receiving? But they seem super curious about one another, and Mellow really likes Chappie, he always wants to be with her! I’ve seen positive signs from Chappie, she will go up to the cage he’s in, that’s next to hers, and she will sniff at him, but we have to cover him to avoid her nips. She will groom herself around him, I feel like she also stands guard when their bonding, cause she’s only laid with him when we pet them and she laid down once on her own. She always stands close to him, and sniffs at him when he hops around. I feel like they do like each other but Chappie is hesitant to give up her superiority, she has been alone for a few years.

I realize that this may seem quick to be asking questions, but my partner is concerned that the nipping means our rabbit doesn’t want to bond, so I am seeking out advice on what her behavior means. If there’s anything anyone could tell me i’d be super grateful! I have hope that these two will bond with time, I’m just trying to find some more advice so I can spread my hope.

Thanks!