Housing for a 2nd rabbit

I have a neutered male Netherland dwarf mix, Tesla. He has a large condo as his home base but gets to free roam the 'rabbit room' almost 24/7. I've had Tes for about a year, and although he has shown aggression toward people (he came from an abusive/severe neglect situation), he has never had any issue with our cats and large dogs being in his space.

I will be going to pick up a young Holland lop later this week (don't know the sex, but I'm hoping for a doe) to show for FFA. This rabbit will be housed in a spare XL dog crate for now, but the end goal is to have it spayed or neutered and bonded with Tes.

The question is where to put this new rabbit's cage. Can it go in the same room as Tes, up on a table so they can't reach each other, and have them alternate playtime? Or would it be better to house the new rabbit in a separate rabbit-proofed room until we start the bonding process?

If they are in separate rooms, I will have to rabbit proof another room (most likely my bedroom), which means raising or wrapping electrical cords, moving everything up from the floor and lowest level of my bookshelves, blocking off all furniture that can be squeezed under, and finding space that the cage will fit in. Tes would still get all of his roaming time, but I would have to watch the new rabbit during its playtime to keep it from destroying my carpet or floorboards. This is daunting, but I'm willing to do it if it would be better for them in the long run.

If they are in the same room, Tes would still be out most of the time and the new rabbit would get to be out for a couple hours a day. If I move the steps up to Tes' cage, there would be no way for them to interact, and because I usually do my homework in that room, I would be able to monitor them just in case. I'm worried that this could cause territorial aggression or spraying from either rabbit, but could it also just acclimate them to each other's sight and smell early on?

What worked for me was putting their enclosures a few inches apart from each other for a couple months (I wasn’t in a hurry to bond them) so they could get use to each other’s scents. A little aggressiveness and a lot of poop marking from the one I already had at first then when the aggressiveness died down I moved them a little closer but obviously still not enough to get to each other. Then when I was ready to bond them I started the stress bonding in the tub and within a few days they were inseparable. Not sure if it’s because I had their enclosures next to each other for so long or I just got lucky with them bonding but that’s what worked for me.

I’m definitely not in a hurry to bond them. The main priority for now is showing the new rabbit and continuing to work on Tesla’s aggression. Maybe I could rearrange the room later on to have the crate and condo next to each other.

Sometimes FFA and 4-H have rules that you can't show if they are spayed or neutered. So you may want to check into that.

Our holland lop Harley (I call her Cujo) became very aggressive once puberty hit and spaying her didn’t help that. She is our only rabbit that when we take to her to the vet we can’t pick her up to put in her carrier, we have to coax her in or she will bite. My husband started giving her those hard alfalfa sticks but only when she’s out of her enclosure and pets her as she eating it and she has gotten a lot better. He holds it as she eating it. She will def still bite if you try to pick her up for any reason but she actually likes when you pet her now.

Augustus&HazelGrace
Rabbits do have to be intact to be shown with FFA. This is my first year showing so I’m only getting one rabbit, but I was already planning on getting another pet rabbit anyway so I plan to keep this one. I’ll have it spayed/neutered once the showing season is over, at the beginning of summer. If I continue showing next year, I’ll get more rabbits. My advisor is already pressing for me to get a breeding trio because most of our chapter does meat pen, not “fancies.”

CinM
I got Tesla already neutered at about a year old. It was a combination of fear and food aggression when I first got him. He’s improved a lot and I can now hand feed him, cut his nails, and clean is scent glands without much trouble (he used to draw blood). He seems to be the opposite of Harley, though; he hates being pet but doesn’t mind being held. I’ve been bribing him with blueberries every few days so I can scratch his forehead and that seems to be helping.

This is definitely a tough one given that you don't know the gender of the rabbit. Tesla might be used to you, but introducing an unneutered male into his free roam territory may cause him to box the crate. A female would be ideal, but as she would still be unspayed it all depends on her age and sexual maturity. Trust me, you do NOT want a doe humping and biting your leg, OR Tesla. It's annoying for you and distressing for a rabbit that's already in recovery from a previous trauma.

If you're not in a hurry to bond them, I would start with the new bunny in a separate room. Pet them, get them used to you. See how Tesla reacts to another rabbit's scent on you, especially because you said he likes being held but not petted. If his reaction is mild, you can probably put their houses together. Again, it all depends on the temper of both bunnies.

Another thing you can do which I forgot to mention that was recommended to me that worked is give them each a small blanket and then switch them so they can get each other’s scent that way first. They will take out their initial aggression in the blankets if any.

Allen Wrider
I get to choose the rabbit but there are only a few Hollands available. I’ll definitely rank does higher in my decision making. I know, with dogs at least, the best way to get an estimate of a young animal’s adult temperament is to meet the mother. I’ll ask to meet the dam/s of the rabbits I’m more interested in and see how it goes from there. Judging by Tesla’s short interactions with my other animals, he’s very confident (completely unaware that he’s only two pounds) so I’m guessing a more submissive rabbit would be a good match.

CinM
I hadn’t thought about doing that for rabbits. That’s how I introduced my two younger cats to my senior cat. They completely ignore each other for the most part now, which is better than the alternative. I use fleece in the bottom of the cage because it seemed to help with litter training. I could let them smell each other’s before I wash them.