Newly Bonded Buns Back From Matchmaker… Is their behavior normal?

[moochew]

So I had my first bun Chewy (4 year old male lop) and my newly adopted bun Moo (5.5 year old female angora) at the matchmaker’s house for bonding all of last week. I got them back Saturday and have been instructed to keep them together in a smaller space for ~2 weeks as they get used to being in the house together.

They are totally good to not fight at all (knock on wood) and I leave them alone overnight so far but they don’t really seem all that affectionate. I know all buns are different but I want them to enjoy each other not just tolerate someone in their space… In the 48 hours I’ve had them back Moo has groomed Chew 4 times for maybe 10-15 seconds max and a few of those times it almost seemed like she was nipping (not pulling the fur out but I don’t know how else to describe it, really aggressive licking?) and then Chew would dart away. I see Chew go up to her asking for licks a decent amount and most of the time she just nips at him to get him to leave her alone, which he does. She has also asked him for licks that he refuses to give and then she nips him away again. They eat together, share hay/water/potty perfectly and they’ll flop nearish to each other (maybe a foot or so apart) but not snuggle. I also put a hidey box in their cage which for majority of the day she sleeps inside and he sleeps on top of it. That’s not so weird as before we got Moo, Chew ALWAYS sat on top of his box instead of in it. He’s too curious and inquisitive to be hidden away, however, if Moo is out and Chew goes in the box she’ll chase him out which I’m thinking isn’t ideal…. should I remove the box all together? It’s only been a few days so should I just be patient as they’re still figuring things out or is this abnormal behavior for recently bonded buns? I just don’t want to miss signs that things are set up in a way that could lead to a possible fight in the future.

Here are a few images for some context

[LongEaredLions]

It sounds like they are doing well to me. Being back in their old environment from the neutral bonding enviroment could lead to a bit of uneasy behavior, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. It’s good that they are asking each other for grooming even if it’s a bit too aggressive for them to end up staying. As long as neither bun seems overly stressed or scared, I think they will likely mellow out even more soon. You can use hidey houses with multiple exits of the chasing behavior concerns you.

[moochew]

Thank you for your reply! I actually got to see some close snuggling this morning with a bunch of grooming – still Moo only grooming Chew but he didn’t dart away like he normally had been and she seemed more gentle with it. Warms my heart to see them being so friendly and sweet to each other. Thank you again  

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