degus how do they act with baby degus?

Question
i have a 1 year old degu and i just bought another degu so he would have a friend... but then i but them together and my 1 year old was lightly chewing him all over his body... what was he doing?

Answer
Degus are very special in respect to interacting with the young.  The whole colony cares for the babies, including all the males.  He was most likely grooming him...they do that regularly, and sometimes even to the point of causing a bald spot.  Don't worry, it will grow back if it happens.  As they get to know each other, the older one may even act like he is trying to mate with the younger one--he is only asserting his role as the dominant male.  If they start really fighting, you'll know.  You'll need to put a separator in the cage for a while so they can still see and smell each other, but let them heal and settle down.
 One way to help ease the transition of a new goo to your cage is to put a couple of drops of real vanilla (in the spice aisle of the grocery store, not a perfume type scent) in a clean batch of chinchilla dust bath.  Let the new one bathe first, then put him into the completely cleaned out cage first.  Then put the older goo in for a dust bath then into the cage.  It makes them think they already have been together but it helps knock down the dominance issues a little.  You can let them keep using the same dust until it gets nasty and needs to be changed...the vanilla won't spoil.
Hopefully this answers your question--it's more an issue of two new friends than a young and an old.
Carol