The odd little behavior nicked named the "Pez head" movement is not
seen in all deaf ferrets. I'm not even sure if it's seen in the
"majority" of them, but it is seen frequently. By no means should it
ever be considered an indicator of deafness. It can be dangerous to
make that assumption because a similar movement can also be indicative
of something seriously wrong such as a neurolgical problem or a disease
process.

I'm not sure who coined the word, but I do know that many years ago
several deaf ferret owners started to use the phrase to describe
the funny little behavior that deaf ferrets can exibit. It's purely
anecdotal. And there is surely no scientific data backing it up
whatsoever. As to the why of it all, perhaps an audiologist on the FML
could answer that and share all of the possible reasons as to why a
deaf ferret would do this. The behavior might not just be caused by
deafness, but it might be caused by something to do with the anatomy
of the ear in a ferret that has a neurocrest genetic defect.

I have only seen a couple of deaf ferrets who did a repeatative
flipping movement of the head, and it was not that often. What I have
more commonly seen are deaf ferrets who love to flip there heads back
and watch the world upside down. When you try to hold them up to talk
to them, and they flip their heads back and hold it there looking all
around. In some cases it's almost like they can't stand to be held
upright high off the ground for more than a short while because they
are pretty insistent about it.

I don't think such a thing should ever even be considered when
seriously trying to diagnose a ferret. Despite the fact that these
little behavioral traits are just common observations with no proof,
they are still very useful and should be discussed. It's important for
owners to know about the little Pez head thing and that it's just a
cute little behavior commonly seen in some deaf ferrets and nothing to
overreact about. I'd hate to see a perfectly healthy animal subjected
to vet visits and a long list of invasive tests because owners and
vet alike are alarmed by the weird behavior. It's also helpful because
when people see stereotypical little behaviors that are commonly seen
in deaf ferrets (or other problems) it can raise a red flag and alert
them to the fact that there is a problem. I might not think much about
a busy little ferret not turning to it's name which would be an obvious
indicator of a hearing impairment. But I would notice a collage of
more unusual little things going (if I knew to look for them) such
as aloofness, walking around in a bit of a fog, the lack of fear of
vacuums and other things such as running water in bathtubs. And I
might notice the opposite. For example, I might notice a ferret that
startles far to easily or even bites if you come from behind him and
pick him up.

I'm glad you brought this up.

[Posted in FML 5721]