Grooming out of hand

[aaine]

One of my girls, Scabbers, has always had an issue where she grooms all the fur off her paws.  She has  been to the vet and he says she is ok, just anal.  Now I have a problem with her grooming our other , Snow.   The other night my boyfriend caught Scabbers holding Snow down and licking her neck.  When we checked her over we noticed that there was fur missing.  Two days before I had noticed a patch on her head getting thin.(Kinda scary when your rat seems to have male pattern baldness)  Is there anything I can do to stop Scabbers from doing this to Snow?

[Marybelle]

Rats will usually barber for one of several reasons, boredom, stress, and sometimes, they just do.  Some people think it's hereditary.  So, first thing you should check is her environment.  Does she have enough to do?  Enough space to play in?  Is there something that might be bothering her (draft, loud noise, bright lights, etc.)  If you've already checked all that stuff, and she keeps it up, she's probably just one of those rats that is obsessed by grooming.  It's not harmful in any way, just makes you end up with patchwork rats.