>From:    Derek & Amy Flemming <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Waardenburg Syndrome
>I have heard that it is this "bad" gene that causes seafness in
>DEW, pandas, blazes, etc.  and that the animal that has "true" dark eyes
>does not suffer from this.  I have heard that ruby eyes in DEWs have it
>for sure.  Is this true?
 
Well yes but no.  A ferrets eyes are not really black, ruby or red.  That is
if you count the color of a ferrets eyes the way you count the color of a
human's eyes anyway.  Ferrets have irises that are green or brown (that make
them look black), or colorless (red eyes of an albino), or blue (that looks
ruby when you see the red of the inside of the eye through it).
 
The blue eyes seem associated with dilution or with Waardensburg patterns so
in turn since some accounts list both of these with traits as associated
with deafness so there is a link - perhaps.
 
We believe it was here on this list that we read about how these two traits
can be realted to deafness.  Pigmentation is apparently important in the
transmission of sound within the ear or auditory nerve.  Both of these
traits are associated with a disruption of the pigmentation.
 
We haven't noticed deafness in dilutes or albinoes so we question that
connection but we have noticed deafness (we think as it is really hard to
tell with ferrets) in patterns associated with Waardensburg genes.  We
don't see a relationship between "how white" the patterns are.  That is we
see no more problems in dark eyed whites than we see in blazes.
 
The patterns associtaed with Waardensburg are in increasing "whitenees":
 
"colored" mitt:  any ferret with white feet and thats guard hairs is not
true black.  Sable mitt, chocolate mitt, champagne mitt.
 
Blaze-wannabe: Not a "real pattern" but what we call those ferrets that are
a "colored" mitt and also have some white mark on their head but not a real
blaze.
 
Blaze: Also shetland or badger.  Any ferret that has white feet and a white
line down the top of the head.
 
Panda: A ferret that has white feet and a white head but a dark back.
 
Dark eyed white pattern: A ferret that is mostly (90%?) white.
 
Dark eyed white:  A ferret with white fur that is not an albino.  The eyes
range from barely darker than an albino to nearly black - but see above to
remember what that really means.
 
Some of the minor standards define all kinds of strange names for these
patterns and variants of them.  Too many to bother listing.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2233]