>From:     Fawn Nowak <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ferret blindness
 
>i had an upsetting vet visit today.  what i though may have been a a
>scratch turned out to be the beginning of what may develope into caderax
>(i know i didn't spell it right- but it is late) in both of her eyes.
>the left eye is noticable, the right one is not.  i got eye drops for
>anti-inflamitory to
 
I also have a ferret who has cataracts on both eyes, however, they don't
appear to bother Stanley at all. The last time I took him to my vet, Tony,
seemed to think that Stan can just about distinguish between light and dark
and maybe vague shapes.
 
Stan lives with three jills, he plays, runs, mock fights, does careful
weasel wardances.  He seems to sense when he is above ground level and is
cautious when he reaches the edge of the settee or chair, he will then turn
around and slide off the settee tail first.  He's just gone running past me
being chased by Button.
 
A ferret doesn't rely on eyesight the same a we do, ferrets can find their
way around a rabbit warren OK without any problems, the sense of smell,
hearing, and probably the sensitivity of their whiskers are far more
important to the ferret.  So far I've yet to see a ferret refuse enter a
rabbit warren cos it's dark down there :-)
 
One of the main things to watch is that a blind ferret doesn't fall from a
height, blindness does not stop Stanley climbing.
 
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare & National Ferret Welfare Society Newsletter Editor
http://www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm (Last Update 3 March 1998)
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill & Deanna Troi
[Posted in FML issue 2250]