>From:    Jeanine <[log in to unmask]>
>I need any documented information for a Pet Supermarket here in town
>regarding deafness in MF ferrets, mainly Blazes, Badgers, & Pandas.
>
>I was informed by the manager that an MF representative doesn't believe
>that ferrets can be deaf.  He says that he has never heard of that.  He
>is upset because I personally have 3 deaf MF ferrets & the store manager
>has had 2.
>
>The manager has asked me to come up with something that would prove to
>him that I know what I am talking about....
 
Hi Jeanine,
 
I can't believe that someone who is a Marshall Farms rep.  DOESN'T KNOW
that ferrets can be deaf!  That's ridiculous to me - that someone who's
working with ferrets in any manner, wouldn't really "know" ferrets.  Oh
well...
 
Anyway, I have an absolutely delightful little Silver Panda, who is MF, and
he is deaf.  I have a letter from my Vet, stating that he is deaf, too.  So
if you'd like a copy of that, along with my receipts from the pet store &
MF papers, I'd be happy to send you all that good stuff.
 
Also, you probably know this, but deafness isn't just found in in MF
ferrets.  Deafness is fairly common in the color patterns of the ferrets
you mentioned - Blazes & Pandas - but also in Dark-Eyed Whites, too.  I've
been told this by pet store owners (by a pet store manager who I trust
knows his animals), by shelter operators, and I've also read about this
in Modern Ferret magazine and in ferret books as well.
 
If you have (or can obtain a copy of) Modern Ferret's Issue #10, you will
have your written documentaion.  On Page 38 there's an article written by
Eric Shefferman, titled, "Ralphie can you hear me?  - Raising a Deaf
Ferret".  Mary & Eric Shefferman, who write Modern Ferret magazine, have 8
(or so) ferrets of their own.  Ralph (who sadly, has since passed over the
Rainbow Bridge), and Knuks (still very much alive & "Making Mischeif"),
were their 2 deaf ferrets.  Ralph was a Blaze, and Knuks is a Dark-Eyed
White.  The specific info you're looking for is on Page 38, in the very
last paragraph.  To quote it exactly, Eric Shefferman writes, "We now
know that ferrets with white heads (panda), white stripes (blaze), or
dark-eyed-white (not albino) ferrets are often (but not always) deaf -
with the deafness being genetically linked to the white fur."....(And
the article continues on from there.)
 
Also, Mary Shefferman has a book out called, "The Ferret - An Owners Guide
to a Happy, Healthy Pet".  In Chapter 1, Page 10, the last paragraph, Mary
Shefferman writes, "Some consider the panda and blaze markings to be a sign
of Waardensburg syndrome, in which white fur on the head is genetically
linked to deafness." Then, later in the same paragraph, Mary adds, "The
link between deafness and the white markings is apparently not an absolute,
as some breeders have said that they have bred blaze-marked ferrets that
are not deaf."
 
You can order this book through Modern Ferret magazine (it's well worth
having!), or you may be able to find it at your local pet store.  So, you
can tell this guy, there IS documentation - and that some ferrets really
ARE deaf!!!
 
I hope this helps.  Let me know if you'd like any more info.
 
-Holly & her Enchanting Ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 2578]