Intro questions.

[ahrat]

My last rabbit was a very lone rabbit, but now I have a girl that I know benefit from having another bun to binky around with.
Here’s the part I need help with. My current girl, Toshi, is unspayed, she was a 4-H rabbit, so there was a chance she would be bred. She’s been with us for a couple months, and is being spayed within the next 3 weeks.
My friend contacted me about a woman who needs to rehome her unspayed, lone, female, Lucille. I have the means to get her spayed within the next three weeks as well, and the woman is willing to hold on to her for the next month.
Is it advisable to leave them separate before the spays? Get them done at the same time and have them recover next to each other, but still separate then continue with intros? I just want to get an idea of a timetable that’s best for them hornmonally, so I can let the woman know when I can take Lucille.

 

[JBun]

You should first be aware that female/female bonds can sometimes be very difficult to do and there's a good chance it won't work out. Reason is a lot of female rabbits tend to be bossy, and two bossy females together just doesn't work usually. So you should seriously consider this and the chance that you could end up with two rabbits that won't bond and you would either need to keep separate or need to rehome one.

If you decide to go ahead, sometimes you can get an idea if there's a chance they could bond later after their spays, by how they react to seeing each other pre spay. But if this is tried, I would do it in a completely neutral area(one your rabbit hasn't been in) and with a fencing panel separating them, also making sure they don't try and bite one another through the fencing as bites can sometimes cause serious damage. If they react well, only show signs of interest in each other, and no signs of aggressive behavior, then there's a good chance they could successfully bond post spay. In this case I would have them set up in pens next to each other so they have a time to get to know one another through their pen fencing. But doing this, you may want to have this new bun have a complete vet check up prior to bringing her in, to make sure she doesn't have an underlying illness that she might be bringing with her.

But if their introduction on neutral territory(with fencing separating) doesn't go well and there is aggressive behavior, then there's a chance they may not bond after being spayed. There's still a possibility it could work out, but it could go either way.

If you plan to bond them, I would suggest reading up on it so you are ready.
https://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/information/bonding-bunnies/

 

[Imbrium]

Girl/girl bonds can be tricky but also very doable. It really just comes down to their personalities. I'm a believer that if it's approached right (ie no human errors) and you're willing to explore every tactic, there are very few rabbit pairings that are truly impossible. The catch is that same sex pairings are more likely than M/F pairs to experience bumps in the road later (domestic disputes that can occasionally require you to intervene and mend their bond before they start holding grudges).

If you give it a try then yes, I would keep them apart pre-spay (and for about a month afterwards, as it takes that long for hormones to fully dissipate). Having them near each other is totally fine *if* they're far enough apart that they can't fight through bars *and* if they haven't already managed to get into fights.

 

[ahrat]

Update—
New girl is here. She’s in her cage from her old home in a separate room from my girl, who is free range, but we gate into the kitchen because bunnies love to eat our carpet
My girl did come out into the living room for some close watched roaming.
The new girl was not phased. She was even binkying in the cage as my girl sniffed and rubbed her chin. There was small boxes that stopped almost as soon as they started. The new girl flopped in her cage, my girl stretched out in front of it. I’m amazed. And maybe super lucky.
The new girl was recently at the vet right before she came to me. Her old owner wanted to make sure she was ready to go for us.
They definitely still won’t be seriously introduced until they’re both spayed, but I feel more comfortable having one free range in one room and the other in the next just separated by the baby gate.

 

[Imbrium]

It sounds like a promising start! Best of luck with the bonding - feel free to start a new thread about the bonding if you have any questions or issues when the time comes.