This is for Michelle & John & Tasha:
We, too, have a deaf ferret--Ralph. He is a blaze (I think that's the same as
a shetland), with a white stripe down his head and dark lines under his eyes
(like eyeliner). Several other people with this type of ferret have said
theirs are deaf too. But I don't know if there's any proven connection.
Ralph is an incredibly sweet ferret. Very gentle, though not very calm &
cuddly. We taught him not to nip hard (or at all!) using bitter apple. Any
time we'd play with him we'd put bitter apple (available in a pet supply
store) all over our hands. He hated the taste, but for a while thought it was
just the price you pay to bite someone. He did learn. It took a while after
that to get him to stop biting when a finger was stuck into the cage.
I think it's important not to sneak up on a deaf ferret. They tend to nip
first and ask questions later. Ralph is very quick to recognize flesh,
however, and  doesn't bite down but does give me a look like: "you should
know better, Mom!"
 
Good luck with your little furry one.
 
Mary Shefferman, Editor-in-Chief
Sabrina, Ralph, Marshmallow & Knuks, Ferrets-in-Residence
 Modern Ferret Magazine
[Posted in FML issue 1090]