Sorry no one replied to this! Basically you cannot and should not start any bonding until she’s spayed, because as you’ve pointed out baby bonds aren’t real bonds. It’s ok for them to see each other and live near each other, but I wouldn’t work on bonding them at all, there’s really no point and only downsides (like he attacks her when she’s a baby and she gets hurt).

But, you have likely figured out some things already since it’s been a while since you posted. In general for bonding, it works best to set the buns up in side-by-side pens in the area that will be their final home once they are bonded. If one bun is free-roam, they will not be happy about this, but it really is for the best, and they will adjust! Then you can let them out alternately to exercise in the room, or divide the room in half with a pen (the first option is usually a bit easier to deal with). One bun could get morning exercise and the other can have evening, for example.

Since your female is probably still not spayed yet, it isn’t as essential to have them set up this way, because her hormones will make her smell very different once she is spayed. Once her hormones have settled (usually 3-4 weeks post-spay), you can start doing side swaps, where you swap which bun is in which pen every day or two. This helps them get really used to each other’s scents and start to lose track of territory. At first you might see some strong reactions to this, but they should calm down in a couple weeks time. Continue these side swaps during the whole bonding process. Once you see them start to calm down, you can start doing actual bonding sessions.

I used to live in a studio apartment, I know it can be very challenging to find neutral space! Many people have good luck with their bathroom or bathtub as a starting location. Most buns don’t spend a lot of time there, and it’s easy to wipe down with vinegar to neutralize smells. You can also create a neutral space by putting a tarp on the floor and blankets around some pen walls so the buns can’t see where they are, but tbh I haven’t had good luck with this method because the buns can usually still smell that they are at home.

So I would start with someplace like the bathroom or kitchen, basically anywhere that is out of sight of their home turf. If you can preserve at least one room of your house to be bunny-free for bonding sessions that would be ideal. Otherwise it’s time to start asking friend’s and family if you can bring the buns to their house for some bonding sessions! I’ve done this with mine when sessions got too long to stay in the bathroom and it has worked wonderfully.

Since you have some time to wait till she’s spayed, I would just focus on getting to know your new bun and letting her settle into her new home. 🙂

To be honest, I would not attempt. Rabbits are very efficient in injuring another rabbit when they want, and there is no guarantee you will be readily available and in arms reach if something were to go awry. Of note, how a rabbit interacts with humans is not an indicator of how they will act with any particular rabbit– he could be very hostile, and vice versa.

Because the bonding process is so far out, I honestly would not be overly concerned about territory at the moment since the priority is ensuring both have ample time to exercise for their own longevity. Months down the line, you will need to consider things like the bathroom as well as methods to clean and “disguise” shared space areas as needed for bonding. As Dana mentioned, asking friends/family to borrow their space is also an option.