# Whisker Bed Barbering - w/pics



## zoocrewmice (May 5, 2009)

Two of my mice have taken to less-than-productive hobbies - chewing the whiskers off one another, instead of reproducing. :lol: I just wanted to ask those that have dealt with barbering before, do they just get bored of it and move on, or will they continue to do this? Obviously this pair won't be together for the rest of their lives, but until they give me a litter... anyways, if there's anything I can do to discourage it, that'd be handy, and just reassurance that the lack of whiskers isn't like, giving them psycho issues because they can't feel anything. 

Both of em together:









Flynn (worse of the two):









Abercrombie:









Thanks for the help!


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I don't know if it's a genetic compulsion or learned behaviour, but either way the barbering will be passed to the offspring. If you breed a mouse that barbers, you'll end up with more mice that barber. The best thing is to remove the barber from the breeding programme, either by euthanising her or keeping her as a pet with a mouse you don't intend to show (and therefore it doesn't matter whether she has whiskers or not). The barbered mice don't seem to mind too much.

Sarah xxx


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## laoshu (Sep 16, 2009)

sorry I have no advice on barbering but I just wanted to say what fantastic pics showing the barbering very well


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

I have an Argente' doe who barbers, I don't show so it's not really a problem but I began to feel sorry for the other mice that she is housed with so I tried removing the offending Argente' and put her in a cage on her own for a couple of weeks to see if it was just a "bad habit" that it might break the pattern of behaviour but to no avail, as soon as I put her back in with the others I could hear the familiar sound of complaining squeaks of whiskers being plucked! :x On that thought, why do the other mice sit there and allow their whiskers to be plucked-stupid things! On an aside, It has made me aware of just how poor mouse eyesight is, the mice that have no whiskers do seem to have lost a little confidence and find it really difficult finding treats when I call them to my hand for treats.

It has left me thinking(this is a dangerous thing that does not happen very often & should not be encouraged! :lol: );
I removed the offending mouse to see if barbering was a behavioral issue and if removed from the others for a while would she forget the behavior and not do it on her return to the group?
I may have not left the barbering mouse on her own long enough to see any change in behavior,(I've learned that I'm too damn soft-she was miserable on her own, not eating much,withdrawn, so I gave in & put her back with the others after a couple of weeks :roll: )
I did wonder if barbering is a genetic trait, would she begin to barber herself if there was no other mouse to barber on?

With horses there is question as to whether Windsucking, previously thought of as a vice could now be related to stomach ulcers/problems with digestion. Maybe barbering could be due to some nutritional imbalance and the mouse's body is trying to replace something?

Is it just that the barbering mouse is overly social and is an overzealous groomer or maybe it is a dominance thing as my barbering mouse was the dominant doe which was also part of the reason for removing her temporarily in the hope of removing her rank in the group.

One thing is for sure, I don't know the answer and I don't have any ideas for preventing it, the trial separation didn't work and although my mouse is no longer the dominant doe in the group(that worked) she is the only mouse in the cage with a full set of whiskers!! :evil:


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

my cham tans are serial barbers.I presume the victims allow it because they enjoy being groomed which is normal mouse activity not realising that they are losing their whiskers.I do show and separate the whiskerless babies the minute they are weaned to allow re growth then cull the offending mouse.Recently though I read in some archive material a few decades old that if the barber(presuming it's a doe)was re mated in a different cage that the habit rarely re occurred.I haven't put this to the test yet and am dubious but once Harrogate has been and gone I shall give it a gnly of use if you breed though.Mine certanly don't get bored of it,I've had a few stud bucks that were barbers and their breeding progress can be followed by the amount of cages with shaved does.Your mice look in lovely condition.


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Quote;SarahC;Recently though I read in some archive material a few decades old that if the barber(presuming it's a doe)was re mated in a different cage that the habit rarely re occurred.I haven't put this to the test yet and am dubious but once Harrogate has been and gone I shall give it a go.

That's really interesting, I can't put it to the test myself as I don't breed, my mice are all does and only pets but It would be fascinating to know if it works! If you are able to give it a go I look forward to hearing your results!


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Good photos! Saving to my health folder!


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## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

Can I just add... I adore that chocolate!! Such a beautiful head! (apart from the whisker thing of course lol)


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## Seawatch Stud (Feb 8, 2009)

Once they have the habit, they never, ever stop doing it. I have bred from mice that do it without it reccurring, but by the same token, I have had it come from nowhere. As with many mouse related issues there is no definitive answer.


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## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

I've only had one doe do that, a fuzzy hairless, and they look very pathetic without whiskers.

Her first litter all the babies did it. So I culled them, and rebred her, then fostered the pups before their eyes opened. None of the second litter did it. But that was the only one I've had so far.

Good luck with them, they are both very beautiful


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Interesting. I guess it's a learned behavior, and not inherited, then! 
That's positive news!


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I wonder if I can train one as a barber for me to remove my whiskers in the morning hehe  . I have never heard of this what does the mouse get from doing it is it an overgrooming urge?


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

come round here and you'll go out looking like a wax effigy, bald as a coot.I crossed the cham tans into the fawns and now they do it.Got about 3 boxes of shaved tans at the moment and one with a fetching set of bald rings round the eyes.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

lol I will have to have a close look at my fawns and siamese closely too see if it has happened to any of them and my nakeds as they have whiskers too.


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Just an after thought... I have had 4 Argente's, all from different sources and 3 of the 4 have been barberers. I have had various colours of mice over the years and none of them (except the 3 Agente's ) were barberers. A strange coincidence? Maybe some varieties are more prone to it?


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## zoocrewmice (May 5, 2009)

Thanks for the advice and comments, everyone.  Because these are two of my best mice, I think I'm going to separate them today and wait for the whiskers to regrow, and then try pairing them with different mice and see how they do. I'm willing to wait and see if he (I'm assuming it's the buck who started it, as Flynn the doe is worse off) will stop. Not with high hopes, but to see. I'd hate to cull them so if the problem persists I suppose I'll keep the two as pets only.

Thanks again, it's awesome to leave a post overnight and come back and have such helpful feedback.  I'll be sure to post back with results once I pair either of them up again.


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