From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-06-07 18:24:01 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: Blind Ferrets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2805619.1086632641132.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
> It would be interesting to study the causes and tendencies toward blindne=
ss.
>> Can black eyed whites be more apt to acquire blindness and what can =
make
>> a ferret blind.
We have had a few blind ones or ones going blind. Off hand I can think of =
one who was injuried in one eye, one (albino) who began to lose her sight i=
n old age (7 years), and one, a blaze with burgundy (garnet) colored eyes w=
ho at first used to have an unusual color perceptions range (not the usual =
black-white gray, or black-white-gray-red, but we know she also say blues b=
ecause she would preferentially steal and hoard blue things till she'd have=
a stash fit for a blue bower bird. That blaze slowly lost her sight young=
-- in her prime -- I guess maybe starting in her third year but more likel=
y in her 4th. She also had some hearing loss, as is so common with neural =
crest genetic varients. In her case she could hear low pitch but not high =
ones, and if someone spoke to her in a high voice she would get a puzzling =
face and would touch the people's lips, perhaps to try to figure if they we=
re actually saying anything. She responded well to words in low pitch but =
even missed favorite treat words completely, bells, etc. if said in high p=
itch. =
=
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