Bonded too soon? Asking for advice.

[Tatiana]

Hi, everyone.
I would like, if possible, get some advice with people who did bonding for 2 rabbits before.
Story: My male bunny Foxy lost his partner Lumi - female bun about 7 weeks ago. After quarantine and revaccination just in case, we decided to find him a female bunny in a local shelter here, in the Netherlands. Bella was the only bunny they let us try to introduce (age/spayed/temper) and since the shelter staff said it looks like it's going great, the woman who worked there offered us a "bonding vacation". We agreed and in 3 days she called us saying - "you can pick up your bunnies, they are doing great."
I was really sceptical about such a short period of bonding and I think I was right. When we arrived home, we put bunnies together observing the behaviour. Bella, a spayed 10 month female is dominant, it first looked like Foxy accepts that but in 24 hours they started circling and she pulled out some of his fur. I decided we need to slow down. Probably in this environment where Foxy knows everyone and everything and she is still scared and not trusting us, so he took the advantage.
I put bunnies separately: one in a pen, another one in a temporary cage next to each other, swapping their toilets and themselves at least twice a day. During bonding sessions they hump less but still do and they do quite a lot of cleaning which sometimes seems a bit painful (I think Bella uses her teeth to clean).
Yesterday my boyfriend tried a longer session letting them on a patio for 5 hours, after 1 big chase and hair pull they seemed totally comfortable and relaxed. I put them separately anyway but close to each other, cause I saw Foxy doing a nip on her face when she pushed it through the little gap between pillows, after 5 hours of peace and binkies.

Long story short: do you think it's ok if I keep them separately still? Can I take 2 weeks to make sure they circle and hump less? Or did I actually break a bond but not letting them continue? I can see that they like each other but there is no dominant one yet. Foxy is passive but more agile, Bella is dominant but chubby (she is on a diet) so she can't chase him as long as he can.

I will appreciate any advices.

 

[JBun]

There's a point where separating them can affect the bonding process and set them back. In which case, it's best to continue until they are fully bonded. Separating can essentially cause them to forget any progress they have made in their relationship. So you may be to that point that it's better to keep them together, still supervised by you, until you are certain they are doing well and have worked out their issues. This can take usually 24-48 hours and may require you sleeping next to their bonding pen, ready to break anything up should a scuffle occur.

Keep in mind that the move to a new house meant all new territory, and this can affect a bond, especially a new one, as they then feel the need to establish territory and dominance again. If you change bonding areas, this can also cause this problem.