From:
Heather Williams
Date: 2010-04-22 17:56:36 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] how to tell if ferret is deaf
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Most likely, yes he will be deaf.=C2=A0 Depending on his age it may take yo=
u a while to figure it out for sure.=C2=A0 As he ages he will probably loos=
e those black guard hairs and become a dark-eyed white ferret which are ver=
y prone to deafness, as are the albinos and some blazes.=C2=A0 My Peppie wa=
s all white with a full black stripe going down the middle of his back (a r=
everse skunk look) when he was a baby.=C2=A0 By two years old he'd lost all=
coloration and is now as white as a snowball.=C2=A0 His eyes are black tho=
ugh.=C2=A0 It took me=C2=A0nearly a year to come to the conclusion he was=
=C2=A0deaf and a vet confirmed it later on.=C2=A0 My=C2=A0vet told me one t=
ell-tale sign of=C2=A0a deaf ferret are wild, thick and very long=C2=A0whis=
kers.=C2=A0 A deaf ferret over compenstates by using their sense of touch j=
ust like a human would.=C2=A0 Peppie's whiskers are now=C2=A0his trademark =
look and everyone comments on them.=C2=A0
=C2=A0
If you want to test for deafness wait until you're little guy is=C2=A0distr=
acted and squeak a toy or=C2=A0rattle a jar of pennies.=C2=A0 Any unusual n=
oise will make a hearing ferret run to check it out.=C2=A0 A deaf ferret wo=
n't react.=C2=A0 Deaf ferrets also tend to be more vocal during play.=C2=A0=
At 5 years old Peppie still "talks" to his playmates and to many of his to=
ys.=C2=A0 It's quite cute.
=C2=A0
Peppie's deafness has not caused me any grief as a ferret owner.=C2=A0=C2=
=A0In fact, he's been the sweetest ferret of them all and I've had=C2=A05 a=
t a time for many years.=C2=A0 There are documented=C2=A0instances=C2=A0of =
ferret owners=C2=A0who have taught their deaf ferrets simple sign language =
as a means of=C2=A0communication.=C2=A0 I have taught=C2=A0Peppie to come t=
o=C2=A0me=C2=A0when I=C2=A0pound on the floor.=C2=A0 He=C2=A0can feel the v=
ibration.=C2=A0 Likewise, if you want to talk to your=C2=A0deaf ferret hold=
him close to your throat so he can feel your vocal chords vibrate.=C2=A0=
=C2=A0He=C2=A0won't understand you of course, but do any of them really?!
=C2=A0
Deafness is nothing to be concerned about in a ferret.=C2=A0 Just be patien=
t with him and understand his limitations.=C2=A0 He'll never come when you =
call him.=C2=A0 He may=C2=A0not be a quick study but he can still be a wond=
erful companion.
=C2=A0
Heather & the Fab 5=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0
[Genetic deafness related to pigment is related to the
juvenile coloration. Lightening over time does not
change a ferret from one genetic group into another.=20
Pale head coloration and deafness go together because
there are ear structures which have the same fetal origin
as the pigment cells do, so when one is altered often
the other also is. The damage happens in the fetus.
Using whiskers more can be a sign of either deafness or
blindness, but the whiskers are not grown in response
to that need. It is possible, though, that if enough generations
of that line were deaf that the ones more likely to survive
and reproduce used that whisker trick so those ones who
had the most offspring were those with the best whiskers
and that can lead to the two characteristics being seen
together at times.
I know of no feedback mechanism for whiskers to grow
more luxuriant with usage, but increased neural feedback
can stimulate some other types of growth -- like denser
bones when weight bearing exercise is done -- so others
may know of academic resources on this topic.
We have found that with a lot of repetition and simple
sentence structure our hearing ferrets understand a good
number of words, understand a basic subject-verb construct,
and understand conditionals such as "Meltdown get Warp,
then Meltdown get treat" and act on them. (Meltie dragged
young Warp out from under the bed then looked up at
Steve and licked her chops.) and things said to other ferrets
as when Fritter searched Hjalmar's stash places on hearing
one of us say to Hjalmar that he had not eaten his treat.
Keep it simple and keep it repetitive. Know that they vary.
-- Moderator]
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