diff --git a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
index ebd86b749b..168c95cb77 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ void AvatarMixer::handleAvatarIdentityPacket(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> mes
             // parse the identity packet and update the change timestamp if appropriate
             bool identityChanged = false;
             bool displayNameChanged = false;
-            avatar.processAvatarIdentity(message->getMessage(), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
+            avatar.processAvatarIdentity(QDataStream(message->getMessage()), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
 
             if (identityChanged) {
                 QMutexLocker nodeDataLocker(&nodeData->getMutex());
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index 7fb0f786ba..07751d03e3 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -1767,11 +1767,9 @@ glm::quat AvatarData::getOrientationOutbound() const {
     return (getLocalOrientation());
 }
 
-void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& identityChanged,
+void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(QDataStream& packetStream, bool& identityChanged,
                                        bool& displayNameChanged) {
 
-    QDataStream packetStream(identityData);
-
     QUuid avatarSessionID;
 
     // peek the sequence number, this will tell us if we should be processing this identity packet at all
@@ -1786,17 +1784,18 @@ void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& ide
             << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) incomingSequenceNumber;
     }
 
-    if (incomingSequenceNumber > _identitySequenceNumber) {
-        Identity identity;
+    Identity identity;
 
-        packetStream
-            >> identity.attachmentData
-            >> identity.displayName
-            >> identity.sessionDisplayName
-            >> identity.isReplicated
-            >> identity.lookAtSnappingEnabled
+    packetStream
+        >> identity.attachmentData
+        >> identity.displayName
+        >> identity.sessionDisplayName
+        >> identity.isReplicated
+        >> identity.lookAtSnappingEnabled
         ;
 
+    if (incomingSequenceNumber > _identitySequenceNumber) {
+
         // set the store identity sequence number to match the incoming identity
         _identitySequenceNumber = incomingSequenceNumber;
 
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 3ca8bd4775..76b699a3d2 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -967,7 +967,7 @@ public:
 
     // identityChanged returns true if identity has changed, false otherwise.
     // identityChanged returns true if identity has changed, false otherwise. Similarly for displayNameChanged and skeletonModelUrlChange.
-    void processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& identityChanged, bool& displayNameChanged);
+    void processAvatarIdentity(QDataStream& packetStream, bool& identityChanged, bool& displayNameChanged);
 
     qint64 packTrait(AvatarTraits::TraitType traitType, ExtendedIODevice& destination,
                      AvatarTraits::TraitVersion traitVersion = AvatarTraits::NULL_TRAIT_VERSION);
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
index d205a915f8..79ba5d06f9 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ void AvatarReplicas::processAvatarIdentity(const QUuid& parentID, const QByteArr
     if (_replicasMap.find(parentID) != _replicasMap.end()) {
         auto &replicas = _replicasMap[parentID];
         for (auto avatar : replicas) {
-            avatar->processAvatarIdentity(identityData, identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
+            avatar->processAvatarIdentity(QDataStream(identityData), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -266,41 +266,47 @@ AvatarSharedPointer AvatarHashMap::parseAvatarData(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessag
 }
 
 void AvatarHashMap::processAvatarIdentityPacket(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> message, SharedNodePointer sendingNode) {
+    QDataStream avatarIdentityStream(message->getMessage());
 
-    // peek the avatar UUID from the incoming packet
-    QUuid identityUUID = QUuid::fromRfc4122(message->peek(NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID));
+    while (!avatarIdentityStream.atEnd()) {
+        // peek the avatar UUID from the incoming packet
+        avatarIdentityStream.startTransaction();
+        QUuid identityUUID;
+        avatarIdentityStream >> identityUUID;
+        avatarIdentityStream.rollbackTransaction();
 
-    if (identityUUID.isNull()) {
-        qCDebug(avatars) << "Refusing to process identity packet for null avatar ID";
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // make sure this isn't for an ignored avatar
-    auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
-    static auto EMPTY = QUuid();
-
-    {
-        QReadLocker locker(&_hashLock);
-        _pendingAvatars.remove(identityUUID);
-        auto me = _avatarHash.find(EMPTY);
-        if ((me != _avatarHash.end()) && (identityUUID == me.value()->getSessionUUID())) {
-            // We add MyAvatar to _avatarHash with an empty UUID. Code relies on this. In order to correctly handle an
-            // identity packet for ourself (such as when we are assigned a sessionDisplayName by the mixer upon joining),
-            // we make things match here.
-            identityUUID = EMPTY;
+        if (identityUUID.isNull()) {
+            qCDebug(avatars) << "Refusing to process identity packet for null avatar ID";
+            return;
         }
-    }
-    
-    if (!nodeList->isIgnoringNode(identityUUID) || nodeList->getRequestsDomainListData()) {
-        // mesh URL for a UUID, find avatar in our list
-        bool isNewAvatar;
-        auto avatar = newOrExistingAvatar(identityUUID, sendingNode, isNewAvatar);
-        bool identityChanged = false;
-        bool displayNameChanged = false;
-        // In this case, the "sendingNode" is the Avatar Mixer.
-        avatar->processAvatarIdentity(message->getMessage(), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
-        _replicas.processAvatarIdentity(identityUUID, message->getMessage(), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
 
+        // make sure this isn't for an ignored avatar
+        auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
+        static auto EMPTY = QUuid();
+
+        {
+            QReadLocker locker(&_hashLock);
+            _pendingAvatars.remove(identityUUID);
+            auto me = _avatarHash.find(EMPTY);
+            if ((me != _avatarHash.end()) && (identityUUID == me.value()->getSessionUUID())) {
+                // We add MyAvatar to _avatarHash with an empty UUID. Code relies on this. In order to correctly handle an
+                // identity packet for ourself (such as when we are assigned a sessionDisplayName by the mixer upon joining),
+                // we make things match here.
+                identityUUID = EMPTY;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!nodeList->isIgnoringNode(identityUUID) || nodeList->getRequestsDomainListData()) {
+            // mesh URL for a UUID, find avatar in our list
+            bool isNewAvatar;
+            auto avatar = newOrExistingAvatar(identityUUID, sendingNode, isNewAvatar);
+            bool identityChanged = false;
+            bool displayNameChanged = false;
+            // In this case, the "sendingNode" is the Avatar Mixer.
+            avatar->processAvatarIdentity(avatarIdentityStream, identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
+            _replicas.processAvatarIdentity(identityUUID, message->getMessage(), identityChanged, displayNameChanged);
+
+        }
     }
 }