A bunny date would be ideal, a few of the breeders have suggested such arrangements, but unfortunately the place where this bun belongs to is a pet store so i don't know about their policies. The staff do not seem too knowledgeable, and for that reason I'm a little concerned about putting Binky together before getting the other bunny checked out for mites etc.
Based on your description of their personalities, it sounds very likely that they would be a good match. I agree 100% about being wary of the bunny's source - shelters and good breeders go to great lengths to keep their animals very healthy and illness/parasite free; pet stores... not so much. I think it's a really good idea to trust your instincts on the quality of the pairing and to get him checked out by a rabbit-savvy vet before you think about letting him near your bunny.
Also, I recommend doing a quarantine for at least two weeks in case there's any dormant/hidden health issues that get missed at the vet check-up. In other words, keep him isolated from your bunny, wash your hands after handling him, etc. While it errs on the side of being overly cautious, that's not really a bad thing - we had another member get a new bunny recently who appeared healthy at first, but then started having seizures (a few days to a week after coming home) and she passed away so quickly there wasn't even time to get her to a vet.
As for the territory, i was planning to put new bun in my room during the bonding period, while Binky lives in the bathroom nearby. Would it okay if she picks up his scent and vice versa or would that just send them into territorial mode? I'd definitely find neutral ground during the introduction meetings. Also Binky's toilet training has been immaculate from the day we got her, would having another bunny who poops around mess up her good habits?
It's more likely that her habits would be "messed up" because of territorial marking than anything, and that settles down after a while. If you choose to quarantine and do a thorough job, then she wouldn't be smelling his scent in areas where she roams (though she'll almost certainly still be able to smell him to some degree from a distance and be aware that there's another bunny in the house).
After bringing him home, make sure she gets as much attention as always and do your best to maintain any routines she may have - that way she doesn't see him as a threat to her current lifestyle and doesn't feel like she needs to compete with him to have things the way she likes them.
After quarantine ends or if you decide you're comfortable skipping it, then it's actually a good thing to have them smelling each other in "their" areas prior to the first introduction. This lets them gradually become familiar with each others' scents. With sugar gliders, pouch (sleeping spot) and toy swapping is always done before intros (the introduction process is very similar to bunnies).
Scent mingling does tend to make animals a bit territorial at first, but territorial urges inevitably have to be overcome at some point when bringing a new bunny home to an existing bunny - scent mingling and toy/bed/litter box swapping are good ways to let them get the territorial urges out of their systems. The issue you're most likely to encounter is a "poop war" along the boundary between their areas (for example, if you have a baby gate or something across the door to your room at some point so they can start getting to know each other).
It's getting hard at this point not to be impulsive, but due to space and other factors, we're really trying to weigh the pros/cons of getting a second bunny. Thanks a lot for your help!
Depending on whether you quarantine, how long you do it for if you do, how long you do scent-swapping for and the age at which your vet is willing to neuter, it may end up being best to keep them separated until after the neuter. Here, vets will typically neuter as soon as a male's testicles descend (usually around 3 months of age, which is only a month away).
Assuming he can be neutered around 3 months of age, I would do scent-swapping and, once the territorial whatnot starts to die down, start doing bonding sessions... but I would wait until after the neuter to consider letting them actually live together.
Post-neuter, I'd give him about a week to recover without any playdates (still doing scent swapping), then go back to bonding sessions *if* he's not acting really hormonal and they don't get into any altercations during the sessions that you think may be caused by hormones. If hormones seem to be an issue, take a break for 2-3 weeks and then try again.
While it *can* take 6-8 weeks for a male's hormones to be completely gone, that's the maximum - it doesn't always take that long. Also, neutering when he's very young means he's just hitting puberty and his hormones may not kick in fully so they may dissipate faster.
Honestly, you've put enough thought into this that I certainly wouldn't consider it impulsive. You seem to know your girl very well and know how to listen to your instincts when meeting another bunny/gauging if he would be a good fit. It sounds like your instincts are telling you that this male bunny is "the one" - while inexplicable, instincts are very often right. I feel very strongly that instincts are worth listening to - sometimes you can know something without knowing, if that makes any sense.
I actually picked out Nala and Gaz by instinct; I couldn't possibly have explained at the time why I picked them for myself or for each other (and in retrospect, I honestly think that Nala picked ME and possibly picked Gaz as well
)... yet I ended up with a "best case" scenario by blindly trusting my gut. Actually, every time I've personally selected an animal to give a forever home to, the choice was ultimately made based on instinct (with my breeding gliders, genetics/pedigrees and such obviously narrowed down the options significantly but even then, I've trusted my instinct to make a final choice from my short-list of suitable matches).
If I were you, I'd give the little guy the best present any bunny could ask for - a "forever" home!
Hopefully the bonding process (and his neuter) go very smoothly... but if you run into any trouble, we'll certainly do our best to help!
