I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion here, but I highly recommend researching and purchasing from a reputable breeder. We spend a lot of time with our rabbits, from day one, handling and posing them. If they have show experience, they've been handled by many different people. About 8/10 of my rabbits are fall-out-of-the-cage friendly. They run to the door, stick their heads out, and wait for you to scratch their head. They love handling and are very personable. The ones who aren't are usually naturally more shy or reserved. Reputable breeders are a great source for rabbits with good temperaments, in general, because they are bred and raised to be that way. No one who spends all of their free time working with rabbits wants to be dealing with skittish, flighty or aggressive personalities! They're usually culled. Although in rare or uncommon breeds, sometimes temperament will be a little less consistent.
I can't say I disagree, as my bunnies came from a breeder and were, indeed, "fall out of the cage friendly"... but I would be hesitant to go through a breeder in this situation, as there are some major draw-backs to consider before going that route in regards to cost and convenience.
~ a bunny from a breeder will often be too young to spay/neuter, meaning you'd have to keep the rabbits separated for a month or two, then neuter, then wait 6-8 weeks for hormones to die down all before you could even *start* the bonding process. you also wouldn't be able to just exchange him for another bunny if the bonding process didn't work out because at that point you've already invested in a neuter and gotten really attached.
if you do go through a breeder, I highly recommend looking for one who raises for show and holds onto all the babies for 3-4 mos before sorting show quality from pet quality so that you can start with an older bunny instead of an 8-week-old - by then, males should be sexually mature (they can be neutered as soon as their testicles descend), which means less time housing them separately because you can neuter right away. (you'll have to house them separately during the bonding phase no matter where the bunny comes from, so you'll need to have two cage areas set up regardless - it just comes down to how much time they have to spend apart)
~ it's more expensive to buy a rabbit and then pay to get it neutered because shelter bunnies are already fixed. if you're thinking about going through a breeder, make sure you've found a vet you trust to neuter with a price you're willing to pay ahead of time.
~ you can't really "bunny date" and let her pick her companion the way you would at a shelter if you go through a breeder because the male will be either be a baby or an unneutered, hormonal teenager, meaning you won't get an accurate idea of how they get along because the boy will be either hump-happy or too young to know who he likes and who he doesn't.
that said, M/F is the easiest bond and if you're willing to put in enough time and effort, I think pretty much any M/F pair can be bonded as long as their initial reaction to each other isn't to get into a fight. a decent breeder would most likely allow your spayed female to go on bunny dates with unneutered males... you won't be able to tell nearly as much from the date (like whether the bond will be really easy or really tough), but you could probably at least determine whether or not the bond would be impossible.
~ also, lots of rabbits are cuddly as babies, but many grow out of that as they age. again, going through a breeder who doesn't sell until they're at least 3-4 mos old would help prevent this particular issue.
basically, if you go through a breeder, it's going to cost more, it's going to take a little longer before you can bond them and you don't have the same safety net of being able to exchange the bunny if things don't work out (most breeders WILL take a rabbit back if you wish to surrender it for any reason, so you wouldn't necessarily be stuck housing two rabbits separately forever if the bond just won't work... but you'd be out the cost of the neuter).
the trade-offs are that a breeder bunny is more likely to be hand-tamed from a very young age, have a good temperament and lack the sort of emotional "baggage" that some shelter bunnies might have (due to possibly being mistreated or ignored by a previous owner)... plus if you're looking for a specific breed, it may be hard to find a purebred rabbit in a shelter.
it's up to you whether it's worth going through a breeder to find another rabbit - I just wanted to present the cons of going that route so you can consider both sides and make an informed decision as to whether a breeder bunny or a shelter bunny is better for you
