Friends for 8 weeks, now fighting!

[viki]

My girls have been together 8 weeks, they were totally in love - we thought the eldest Willow might be a killer as she bit wisp a few times on the paws but turns out she was the biggest softy! Wisp is a bit of a bothersome one - always wanting to groom when willow wants to sleep... On saturday Willow was super sleepy and Wisp was bothering her (out of the cage) then all of a sudden they started fighting. I separated them but Wisp bit me and tried to run at Willow again, I swooped in to push her away with the back of my hand and got bitten again! Willow has a sore on her back, not bad though and wisp has two on her face. I separated them for a day, they talk all happy through the cage but as soon as they are together Wisp grinds her teeth and vibrates?!!? whilst whiping her tail about, Willow just sits there all fluffed up and lets wisp hump her but when wisp goes near Willows face she turns away.
What do I do?! Wisp has just turned 1 yr, Willow is 1 yr 9 months - is it to do with Wisps age?? Should I go back to bathtub intros or in cage? Since they smell the same - I've kept same litter in cages and keep swapping them between cages and using old shared sand.

Thanks for any advice!

[viki]

It was Wisp who bit me both times, she also keeps weeing on me which she has never done before this last week. They both seem to not be eating much either. Could this all be to do with breeding season? Or Wisps age? I was bleeding to much at the time to dominance hold her but I did tell her off. =/

They fight more out of the cage rather than in, so I'd rather keep play time separate for the time being. I just weighed them Willow is 248g and Wisp 225g, teeth are looking good, coats nice, Wisp tails gone a bit scally. She's just SO GRUMPY! Willow used to be the dominant one but she just seems to want her friend back, she keeps crying in the night without Wisp. =[ I had to get up 5 times last night to cuddle her ='[

[moletteuk]

Could something be stressing them, has anything changed lately?

[deguconvert]

Like Smux, I wonder if there is a bit of territorial behavior here, you being the disputed territory. I don't know if jealousy over humans figures into degu relationships, and this is definitely one thing I wish I could ask a degu about and understand the answer! Our boys wee on me all the time, but there is a huge difference between wee that is just wee and wee that has musk in it as well. The odor of the musked wee is really potent! Can't wear THAT around, EWWWW! Anyway, the boys seem to go through stages where they will musk me one after the other, and then they squabble over the "best resting on Mom" places. The best I can make out of it is that they are declaring who gets what part of me. When this is happening, I just don't take them out of the cage for a few days and try to let it simmer down for a bit. Another strategy I have used (with nose plugs) is to let them stink up one of my old shirts and then I refrain from washing it for a few days to help re-establish the territories, so to speak. Sometimes this works, and other times they seem to get more angry. If it is working, I don't wash, but if it doesn't work, I change clothes right away and wash that stinky shirt as fast as I can.

Definitely a Shakespearean dilema of "to wash or not to wash."

I hope your girls will resettle soon!