Deafness and Waardensburg's Syndrome:
 
The patterns associated with defaness are those associated with Waardensburg
Syndrome.  I ferrets this is a white strip that could go from the nose to
the back of the neck over the top of the head.  It can be so wide that it
covers the whole head (Panda), a single stripe (Blaze, Badger or Shetland),
a blotch or two, or not even visible (certain mitt patterns).  Other white
markings that come from this 'gene' are white feet, white knee caps, and
white blotches on the belly.  The Silver Mitt pattern is not always the
result of this syndrome.  Not all ferrets with these patterns are deaf.
I've several ferrets that appear to be totally deaf but they could be just
ignoring me when I try to test them.  Others are adamant that 'their'
blaze/panda/mitts are not deaf.  I don't know either way on someone elses
ferrets but am dubious.  The champagne color (sometimes called cinnamon
(improperly), butterscotch or sandy) can also have a predisposition to
deafness.  In other animals the albino 'color' (or rather lack of color) can
be associated with deafness.  I've heard this is due to melanin be necessary
to hearing but I don't really know about this.  This is another one of those
topics which can result in nasty fights unfortunately.
 
Marshall Farms revisited unfortunately:
 
I still have not heard any credible evidence that MF DOES euthanize healthy
retired breeding ferrets.  The quotes used from the book editted by Dr.
Fox are badly used out of contextand are so old that they are probably
completely out of date.  I would not like to be part of a rumor that
damages a company that has done much for ferrets without good cause.  I
suspect that there might be truth to the euthanization but have heard no
recent OR credible evidence.  Not all pet store ferrets are Marshall Farms
ferrets.  Not all ferrets with tattooed ears (in any pattern including the
two dots) are from Marshall Farms - there is no trademark on the tatoos.  A
boycott would not likely hurt MF in the near term as they can not raise as
many ferrets as they can sell.  Backorders are the norm.
 
I used to believe that MF ferrets were not as healthy as hobbyist breeder
ferrets (sorry I completely misspelled hobbyist in previous posts).  I no
longer believe this.  From what I can tell Dr.  Judi Bell has had an
amazing influence on the practices at MF.  It could also be others that I
do not know of course.  MF ferrets from the past couple years have shown
dramatic improvement.  Appears to be diet and hosing improvements.  THis is
one reason 8 year old information is not to be trusted.
 
HOWEVER - education on ferrets is what is most needed.  Care of ferrets
and other facts will help all concerned.
 
Russ asked several questoins:
 
The Rabies vaccine is tested and validated as a three year vaccine in
cats but not ferrets.  It is tested and vaildated for one year in
ferrets.  I believe it was Dr. Williams who pointed this out before and
mentioned that the vaccine might be safe for three years but has not been
tested.  It appears your vet is a bit misinformed but partially correct.
 
Broken cannines is unfortunately common.  The vet is probably right on this.
 
Ferrets (and other pets) can have problems with dirty teeth.  Those of us
who show ferrets regularly scale our own ferrets teeth without gas.  I
wouldn't expect a vet to not use gas however.  To many treats can cause
problems (just like in people) I believe that too much moist food also can
lead to 'junk' on the teeth.  One of the high quality dry foods is less
likely to lead to scaly build up of tartar than lower quality foods.
Another thing I learned recently from AFA President Sally Heber is to use
baking soda on a moist cloth to wipe the teeth.  Some ferrets don't like
these treatments and you would be playing with teeth so getting bit is a
definite possibility so be careful.
 
Kelleen asked about scars from neuter/spay:
 
The 'line' you found on the hobs is not a scar from neutering.  It is
natural.  Neutering on hobs is done only at the very 'rear' of the ferret
not on the abdomen.  The spay on a jill is done through and amazingly
small opening in the abdomen so no scar is left even in older ferrets.
 
Laura asked about differences in sizes:
 
We have ferrets we've bred that have jills of the same age ranging from 1
to 3 pounds and hobs ranging from 3 to 6.  I wouldn't be concerned about
any full grown ferrets that fit in these general ranges.  Younger ferrets
can vary even more drastically in size due to genetic differences in the
rates of growth.  If the ferret looks and acts healthy in this case
he/she probably is.  The amount of muscle and fat covering on the
skeleton is what to pay attention to not the overall size.
 
bill killian
zen and the art of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1316]