Deafness In Ferrets
Ferrets with white feet, toes, or knees, white chests, a solid white head, or a white stripe on their head are often (but not always) deaf. Black eyed whites (as opposed to albinos with reddish eyes) may also be deaf. The genes that create those white patterns often result in deafness as well. If your ferret has any of these patterns or if it startles easily or has been difficult to nip train, you might want to check to see if it's deaf.
The Test:
Stand behind your ferret and squeak a loud dog toy and/or crinkle a crinkly bag (like a potato chip bag). Make sure there are no reflections, no other ferrets, and no other people around to give your ferret a visual cue. Also make sure you don't tip off your ferret with any vibrations (like banging the floor!) If your ferret does not respond to the crinkly bag or the squeaky toy -especially the squeaky toy!- it's most likely deaf.
One of the most important things to realize about a deaf ferret is that it cannot hear you and may not realize you're coming up to it from behind. As a result of this, a deaf ferret may startle easily which may in turn cause it to be a little skittish and nippy. Make sure your ferret always sees you before you pick it up or interact with it. Also bear in mind that if it's playing too roughly and you scream, it has no idea! No matter how loud you scream! You'll have to find non-verbal ways of communicating. Some owners blow a quick puff of air in the ferret's face as a way to show disapproval.
Deaf ferrets can make wonderful pets and they have their advantages. One of those advantages is how "in tune" they tend to be with their owners since they pay extra attention to nonverbal cues. They can also be calmer in crowds and new places since loud or unusual noises won't affect them.
The important thing is for owners to realize that they have a deaf ferret and to then modify the way they interact with the ferret to prevent unfortunate misunderstandings. Sadly, many "problem ferrets" turn out to be deaf ferrets that were misunderstood and sometimes abused as a result. Most of those same "problem ferrets" changed and became loving wonderful pets once someone realized they were deaf and treated them accordingly.
Some links on Deaf Ferrets and the Waardensburg gene
- Deaf Ferrets
- Wolfy's Wondifferous World of Weasels: About Deaf Ferrets
- Deaf Ferret Discussion Group (Yahoo Group)
- Online Feline Fanciers: The Pigment Parade
- White-linked Deafness in Australian Shepherds
- Living with a deaf ferret
* Note: This article is technically no longer available on the internet, but I found an archived copy. Robynn (the author) has almost 20 more ferret articles archived there as well. Somebody might want to contact her and get permission to host her articles, (including the deaf ferret one) someplace where ferret owners, who don't know how to do an archive search, can find them. -Just a suggestion. :)- Also see my "Problem Ferrets" links for help with nip training.
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