Don't know whether or not you have a deaf ferret?  Consider some of these
things first...
 
ferret seems surprised when you come suddenly upon them, oftimes releasing
a sharp bark, yell, or scream.
 
ferret seems to move his or her head more than usual (as compared to
hearing ferrets).
 
ferret may exhibit a certain level of fearlessness when it comes to leaping
onto, or off of, furniture, etc.  (this is not necessarily just a deaf
ferret thing, but more often than not, I find that deaf ferrets seem to
be less fearful about certain things.)
 
ferret may exhibit a certain level of attentiveness, and watchfulness,
seemingly taking in everything about their surroundings.
 
ferret may seem to be louder or more vocal when playing (or fighting) with
others.  (Not necessarily a definitive thing exclusive to deaf ferrets.)
 
ferret does not respond to squeeky toys, or seems to only respond half the
time.
 
ferret may exhibit wanting to be upside down a lot.  (Again, not
necessarily a deaf trait, but something I have noticed with a good number
of deaf ferrets.)
 
ferret may not be awakened by your presence, as others are who can hear you
coming home and the slam of the door, or the engine of your car.  Please be
aware that a closing door can change air pressure within a home and that a
deaf ferret can feel this and appear to "hear" you coming home.
 
How to test for deafness.  In each case, always make sure the ferret is
facing away from you:
 
squeak a toy: make sure you point the air hole away from the ferret... some
people make the mistake of thinking that the ferret is responding to the
sound, when in fact they are only responding to the sudden shots of air.
 
bang a pot with a wooden or metal spoon.
 
yell a sudden high pitched "eeeeek", as well as grunt low "barks".  Some
ferrets may only have partial hearing loss in either the high end or low
end hearing range and may not be totally deaf.
 
do not bang on the floor, counter, or any surface your ferret is presently
on to test for deafness.  They respond to the vibrations of your banging
and not the sound of the banging.
 
observe the ferret: Ask yourself what does he/she do that seems out of the
norm in comparison with other ferrets.  This is, of course, hard to judge
if you have only one ferret in your home, or are new to ferret behaviour.
 
[Part 2:]
Mushu was our first deaf ferret.  It took me a long time to determine that
she could not hear.  I was convinced that she could hear at times and just
being stubborn the rest of the time, like ferrets can be.  Eventually, I
began to notice things she did that the other ferrets did not do, like
looking everywhere and watching everything more so than the others.  Her
head always seemed to be on the move.  She stares at me intently to watch
my expressions and to see what I will do next... like pick her up, scritch
her sides, give her a treat or a cuddle... She seems always on guard.  She
is more aggressive towards other ferrets, but this is not necessarily a
deaf trait.  Her tongue seems to be out more than the others... always
licking, always moving that little pink thing around, as if she is testing
the air.
 
Charlie, our other deaf ferret is not aggressive towards other ferrets and
plays nice with pretty much anybody.  Charlie is fearless, leaping off of
furniture in a flying motion.  Nothing phases him.  He was our first tub
jumper.  He joins me in the shower every now and again, but does not like a
large stream of water to be poured onto his head, like the kind of stream
that comes off of an elbow when washing hair.  Then the feet do the cartoon
thing... running but not getting anywhere.  He likes to tip his head
slightly sideways as if he is trying to figure out what you are doing.
It always makes me go "awwwww.... how cute" and then I must run up and
grab him and cuddle him and give him kisses.  He is just adorable.
 
Deaf ferrets are not more aggressive, more cuddly, more or less anything
in comparison to other ferrets.  They are just ferrets with their own
personality, as every ferret exhibits their very own.  Just like other
ferrets, their behaviour is based on their past experiences and how they
have been handled.  Deaf ferrets who are aggressive are not so because of
their deafness, just as cuddly deaf ferrets are not so because of their
lack of hearing.  Hearing ferrets can be aggressive, and they can be
cuddly as well.
 
Deaf ferrets can be trained just as easily as hearing ferrets as both
rely on rewards for good behaviour, and the lack of rewards for the other.
Deaf ferrets do not need to be hit to be made to understand.  In fact, I
would say that it would make things worse.  As with any ferret, love and
patience in the key.  And to be consistent.
 
Deaf ferrets may act a little differently but your behaviour does not have
to change all that much towards them.  I find I still make baby talk to
Mushu and Charlie, even though I am fully aware that they can't hear me.
I still blow on their bellies and give them kisses on their faces and
neck.  I still talk sternly when they bite too hard or when they nip me
unexpectedly.  Mushu is very good at crawling up onto my hand when I offer
it to her in order to be picked up.  She is as smart as they come.
 
Charlie loves the water... I find him snorkeling in the water bowl all the
time.  One day he absolutely made me howl as he stuck his head into a full
parrot dish of water and just kept going around and around with his head,
while his nose touched the bottom.  I'm sure water got into his ears, but
he didn't care at all.  He did this for about 4 minutes.  I wish I knew
what the attraction was... But as always, the video camera was only feet
away, and I was too involved in watching rather than getting it on tape.
Mushu loves to be on her back, and is constantly posing like the sex
kitten she is.
 
Well, there you have it.  My two cents on deafness.
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
For the love of ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 3481]