Separate bunnies over winter?

[LillieCharliee]

Hey all!
the situation is a bit complicated, so I hope I can explain it well :‘)

I have four bunnies, two boys and two girls. They live outside.
Due to their health problems the two boys aren‘t really able to stay outside over winter anymore, which does get pretty cold where I live.

Ok so this is the problem:

I can‘t put all of them inside, because 1) not enough space and 2) one of the girls is a menace and I just can‘t keep her indoors. I had to for a while and it was hell. She is neutered, but she’s insane.

Then to make this more complicated the 4 of them are two bonded pairs, each one boy and one girl, so I would need to separate the pairs.

They all live together rn and the girls get along very well with everyone, including each other. The boys don‘t like each other at all, unfortunetaly one is very mean to the other.

So my questions are: is it ok to separate the pairs over winter? Do you think the boys could get along over time?
I need to transfer them soon and I just don‘t know what to do :‘) Thank you

 

[JBun]

Separating bonded pairs could lead to issues like it affecting the mood of the rabbits, even possibly causing some depression and lack of appetite. So it's important to keep a watch out for that so it doesn't develop into GI stasis or other health issues. It could also lead to the possibility of problems rebonding them in the spring. So just something to be aware of. But sometimes you just have to do what's necessary for the good of your rabbits, even though it's not ideal.

There's always the possibility the two boys could decide to get along once they no longer have their 'wifebuns' to be with. You just never know until they've actually been separated and you see how they react to one another then(safely).

I don't know if any of these might be possibilities that could work, not knowing your situation or set up. I'm just throwing them out there in case it's not something that's been considered or tried, and could possibly be an option.

If bringing them all in could still be a possibility, there's doing a thorough bunny proofing of an area they could be kept in, so your problem bun could no longer cause whatever issues she was causing before. If necessary, using a tall wire pen to keep them contained to their own bunny proofed area.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bunny-proofing
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bunny-proofing.html
If bringing the girls in just absolutely won't work, do you mind if I ask the nature of the boys health issues? Someone could have a suggestion that might give you an idea of how you could continue to keep them together, and not have to separate them over the winter.