diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
index 563de9434d..9d79a40c11 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
@@ -341,8 +341,6 @@ void Avatar::updateAvatarEntities() {
 void Avatar::simulate(float deltaTime, bool inView) {
     PROFILE_RANGE(simulation, "simulate");
 
-    //qDebug() << __FUNCTION__ << "skeleton download attempts:" << _skeletonModel->getResourceDownloadAttempts();
-
     _simulationRate.increment();
     if (inView) {
         _simulationInViewRate.increment();
@@ -1114,15 +1112,17 @@ void Avatar::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
 
 void Avatar::setModelURLFinished(bool success) {
     if (!success && _skeletonModelURL != AvatarData::defaultFullAvatarModelUrl()) {
-        // FIXME -- 
-        if (_skeletonModel->getResourceDownloadAttempts() > 4) {
+        const int MAX_SKELETON_DOWNLOAD_ATTEMPTS = 4; // NOTE: must be less than MAX_ATTEMPTS in ResourceCache.cpp
+        if (_skeletonModel->getResourceDownloadAttempts() > MAX_SKELETON_DOWNLOAD_ATTEMPTS) {
             qCWarning(interfaceapp) << "Using default after failing to load Avatar model: " << _skeletonModelURL;
             // call _skeletonModel.setURL, but leave our copy of _skeletonModelURL alone.  This is so that
             // we don't redo this every time we receive an identity packet from the avatar with the bad url.
             QMetaObject::invokeMethod(_skeletonModel.get(), "setURL",
                 Qt::QueuedConnection, Q_ARG(QUrl, AvatarData::defaultFullAvatarModelUrl()));
         } else {
-            qCWarning(interfaceapp) << "Avatar model: " << _skeletonModelURL << "failed to load... attempts:" << _skeletonModel->getResourceDownloadAttempts();
+            qCWarning(interfaceapp) << "Avatar model: " << _skeletonModelURL 
+                    << "failed to load... attempts:" << _skeletonModel->getResourceDownloadAttempts() 
+                    << "out of:" << MAX_SKELETON_DOWNLOAD_ATTEMPTS;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index d06fdf502b..b81bf86559 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -1460,13 +1460,14 @@ void AvatarData::parseAvatarIdentityPacket(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> messa
 
     packetStream >> identityOut.uuid >> identityOut.skeletonModelURL >> identityOut.attachmentData >> identityOut.displayName >> identityOut.sessionDisplayName >> identityOut.avatarEntityData;
 
-    qDebug() << __FUNCTION__
+#ifdef WANT_DEBUG
+    qCDebug(avatars) << __FUNCTION__
         << "messageNumberOut:" << messageNumberOut
         << "identityOut.uuid:" << identityOut.uuid
         << "identityOut.skeletonModelURL:" << identityOut.skeletonModelURL
         << "identityOut.displayName:" << identityOut.displayName
-        << "identityOut.sessionDisplayName:" << identityOut.sessionDisplayName
-        ;
+        << "identityOut.sessionDisplayName:" << identityOut.sessionDisplayName;
+#endif
 
 }
 
@@ -1477,17 +1478,15 @@ QUrl AvatarData::cannonicalSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& emptyURL) const {
 }
 
 void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const Identity& identity, bool& identityChanged, bool& displayNameChanged, quint64 messageNumber) {
-    qDebug() << __FUNCTION__ << "messageNumber:" << messageNumber << "_lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber:" << _lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber;
-
     if (messageNumber < _lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber) {
-        qDebug() << "ignoring late identity packet for avatar " << getSessionUUID();
+        qCDebug(avatars) << "Ignoring late identity packet for avatar " << getSessionUUID() 
+                         << "messageNumber:" << messageNumber << "_lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber:" << _lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber;
         return;
     }
 
     _lastIdentityPacketMessageNumber = messageNumber;
 
     if (_firstSkeletonCheck || (identity.skeletonModelURL != cannonicalSkeletonModelURL(emptyURL))) {
-        qDebug() << __FUNCTION__ << "about to call setSkeletonModelURL(identity.skeletonModelURL);... identity.skeletonModelURL:" << identity.skeletonModelURL;
         setSkeletonModelURL(identity.skeletonModelURL);
         identityChanged = true;
         if (_firstSkeletonCheck) {
@@ -1535,7 +1534,7 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::identityByteArray() const {
 
 void AvatarData::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
     if (skeletonModelURL.isEmpty()) {
-        qDebug() << __FUNCTION__ << "caller called with empty URL.";
+        qCDebug(avatars) << __FUNCTION__ << "caller called with empty URL.";
     }
 
     const QUrl& expanded = skeletonModelURL.isEmpty() ? AvatarData::defaultFullAvatarModelUrl() : skeletonModelURL;
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
index f371159e6e..c4aa6c8479 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarHashMap.cpp
@@ -126,10 +126,6 @@ AvatarSharedPointer AvatarHashMap::parseAvatarData(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessag
 }
 
 void AvatarHashMap::processAvatarIdentityPacket(QSharedPointer<ReceivedMessage> message, SharedNodePointer sendingNode) {
-    qDebug() << __FUNCTION__ << "sendingNode:" << sendingNode << "message.failed():" << message->failed() 
-            << "isComplete:" << message->isComplete()
-            << "messageNumber:" << message->getMessageNumber();
-
     AvatarData::Identity identity;
     quint64 messageNumber;
     AvatarData::parseAvatarIdentityPacket(message, identity, messageNumber);