To Christine and Bailey:
 
I don't know if this is true in ferrets, but in cats, white with blue eyes
and dalmations, many are deaf.  It's a congenital thing.
 
I had a ferret several years ago who first went blind (retinal deterioration)
and then consequently went deaf. He was a sable and this happened after he
was 5 or 6 and had a golf-ball sized melanoma and islet cell carsinomas
removed.  He wasn't jumpy as your ferret is, most likely because he was
already blind when he went deaf.  However, his sense of smell seemed to
improve dramatically - the body is an amazing thing the way that it
compensates!  He lived to be 8 and we finally had to put him down when the
islet cell tumors came back.  He did have a wonderful life and brought us
much joy over those years.  It will be 3 years since his death this April
1st - RIP Bilbo Baggins.
 
Anyway, Bilbo made it around the house just fine with his blindness and
deafness.  He only had a problem if things had been moved furniture wise
or if someone left a box or briefcase where it shouldn't have been.  He
stayed close to the walls and would sniff us out to let us know that he
wanted to be picked up.  He became very cuddly those last couple of years
and would sleep for hours on our lap.
 
Good luck with Bailey.
 
Cindy
  Beren and Pippin too!
 
Hugs to all fuzzies!!
[Posted in FML issue 1135]