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Deafness in FerretsBlaze or panda ferrets (those with a white stripe on the top of their heads, like badgers, and white bibs; or those with a white head and bib, without a mask) tend to be prone to deafness, and Waardenburg syndrome seems to be genetically linked with the white markings on the face. I have also read that Waardenburg syndrome can be found in black-eyed whites, and that albinos can be hard of hearing due to the fact that they have abnormally small hearing mechanisms in their middle and inner ears. I haven’t had any problems of that nature in either my BEWs or albinos; however most of my ferrets, both past and present, have shown me that they have “selective hearing”. Depending on their mood at the time, I have found that they might choose to ignore any of my calls, entreaties or ravings! That’s all part and parcel of being a ferret owner!
There's a lot of information on Deaf Ferrets at Wolfy's Wondifferous World of Weasels, as well as a very interesting article written by Erika Matulich which has photos of her ferrets which were hard of hearing/deaf. At the American Ferrets website, you can see photos of ferrets that have
Waardenburg Syndrome,
and there's also a
Yahoo group
for people with deaf ferrets and I'm sure you would get lots of ideas, hints and support if you needed it.
When we first got Kahlua, I was a little worried that she might not have good hearing, as she has a thin white streak on the top of her head. Having read about Waardenburg Syndrome, I watched her very carefully but found that her hearing is excellent, thank goodness. It is so good that she can hear me mixing the smoothy in the kitchen when she is asleep in the Chest of Drawers Hilton in our bedroom and she hotfoots it to my side.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet. Return from Deafness in Ferrets to All About Ferrets
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