A neutral space is place neither of them have been– the common area is semi-neutral, so it is not neutral at all and it was a misstep to try initial meetings there. The transition from neutral to semi-neutral is typically only done after rabbits can spend 24hrs+ in neutral territory without issue. That being said, it’s not necessary an irreparable “mistake”, but one to keep in mind going forward.

You can find information on what is the generally recommended bonding process here: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bonding/

It is actually common for unbonded rabbits to seem “bonded”, especially when one is young (a baby bond, it’s called) or through pen walls. A baby bond is a bond that involves at least one rabbit who is young/not fixed and is held together due to the young rabbit not having the mating/territorial urges which come from hormones (yet)– it is expected to be a temporary bond and is not a true bond. The presence of a baby bond does not lead us to draw conclusions on whether the rabbits can bond after being spayed/neutered, since it’s simply the result of lack-of-hormones. The peacefulness through pen walls can come from the security that the territory is securely delineated: “Ah, this is my space and they can’t enter. I am very comfortable.” Some people interpret the lounging/chilling by the territory perimeter as not only comfort, but also a, “HA! I can chill in this space and you can’t. Hahaha, look at me, I’m so relaxed in my territory.” … up to interpretation, haha.

As outlined in the link above, I would start in a truly neutral space with short dates, and as time goes on extend the length of those dates. Once they’ve established consistent neutral/positive interactions in neutral over a long period of time, you can start small in the semi-neutral space. I would wait a week before starting, just to let any grudges dissipate.

Thank you for all the background info!

So first of all, don’t worry, mistakes happen! Even though there is so much info out there it is still a lot to take in, with lots of conflicting info. I literally did the same exact thing with my first pair. Oops! I did eventually bond them and they were extremely happy together (they are the pair in my avatar).

So the common area they both exercise in is not considered neutral territory in their eyes. They both spend lots of time in it, and it’s right next to their home-turfs. At best it would be considered semi-neutral, so that is your main problem. It’s completely normal for rabbits to fight in non-neutral territory, so I don’t think it’s any indication they aren’t bondable.

It’s also encouraging they are still acting chill through the fence even after the fight. Was either rabbit injured? I’m assuming No, but if so, then a few weeks break before proceeding is a good idea.

If no bun was injured, I think I would start by doing some side swaps for a couple weeks, and then continue that throughout teh bonding process. So you’ll swap which bun is on which side every day or two. Leave the litter trays and everything where they are, and ideally slightly dirty when you do the swap. This helps them start to lose track of their territory and get to “know” the other rabbit based on scent. Buns are really scent oriented, so this really helps.

After a couple weeks of swaps, and assuming the buns are acting relaxed after swapping, you can start sessions. You should use an area that neither rabbit has ever been, and ideally not within sight or immediate smelling range of their home areas. A lot of people use their bathroom or bathtub for this.

You can start with a few short sessions (like 5 minutes or so) just to get a sense of how they will be. It’s really important to prevent fighting, so watch their body language when they approach each other. If their ears are pinned back and their tail is up, that’s aggressive. I also like to pet the bunnies a lot in early sessions when things are tense, so when they approach each other and come face to face, you can pet them both. This is especially helpful if one bun requests grooming by putting its head down, because they think the other rabbit is grooming them and it helps build some positive feelings between them.

Be sure to end the date on a good note, so if they do scuffle or nip, break up the interaction and pet them to calm them down. End the date when the rabbits are calm or at least ignoring each other.

Once you do some sort sessions, you can start to increase the length of time as you see fit based on their behaviors, following the same basic idea of preventing fights as best you can. When they get into longer sessions I ease off the petting, but don’t be afraid to have your hands on them a lot in the early sessions.