Glossary · 🤔 Behaviour
Barbering
Barbering is when a dominant rat, mouse or gerbil chews the fur or whiskers off a cage-mate (or itself), leaving a clean-shaven patch — usually a social-stress or dominance behaviour.
The skin underneath is normally undamaged. Persistent barbering can point to overcrowding, boredom or a too-dominant individual that may need separating.