ferret aggression

Question
Hi. my 2 year old ferret has suddenly become nasty to her 8 month old daughter with whom she has always got along happily with. She will hold the youngster down and lick her scruff for a while then quickly bite hard and not let go at the same time giving off a strong smell from the anal gland. The youngster screams and if she manages to get loose her mother chases her down and attacks again.The youngster always acts submissively. I have had to separate them as this is getting worse and been going on for the last week. At the same time the mother has become very affectionate towards me. She was given an injection about 4 weeks ago to bring her out of season, otherwise there have been no other changes to their diet, environment etc, so I don't understand it. They are going to be spayed in 2 weeks time, do you think that will stop it?

Answer
Any time I hear "suddenly" in a description of a behavior, I worry about a medical cause.  I am totally unfamiliar with the possible side effects of the injection nor how long it lasts, but I would separate them until they are spayed and have your vet look over them both.  Hopefully, the spay will help with the aggression.