It was so nice to read Dr. Williams' remarks on the difficulty with
socializing blind ferrets.  My eldest, Sonic, went blind a year or two ago
(suspected retinal atrophy, my vet can't see the vessels at the back of her
eyes anymore), and when it was happening, everything I read made blindness
sound like it's a non-issue for them, aside from them running into
newly-placed or moved objects.  But it was very hard for Sonic!  I can't
even imagine trying to introduce her to new ferrets.  BUT she's old and has
two gentle ferret friends she's lived with her whole life - I am *not*
trying to discourage Cheryl or anyone else from socializing blind ferrets
with new ones.  With patience and understanding, you have every chance of
getting it to work.  The discussion did, however, make me want to write a
little bit about dealing with those blind ferrets who do not adapt to their
situation as well as many seem to.
 
I first noticed Sonic was going blind when she stopped coming to me when
I'd call her - she'd perk up and sniff the air but not be able to zero in
on my location; she'd also get left behind while the others were following
me around the house.  She became disoriented if I carried her to another
room and then set her down.  She had several "panic attacks" when finding
herself in new locations, like a visitor's lap or the inside of a box she
was exploring.  She'd freak out, scream, and scramble around in a panic
to get away.  She also was constantly running into walls, furniture, and
other things that had been stationary for years.  She'd flinch if picked
up without warning.  She lost a lot of her ferrety confidence; it was
pretty sad.
 
In addition to the standard things like not moving furniture, letting her
sniff hands before picking her up, and talking to her gently, taking
advantage of her sense of smell has really helped her.  I use vanilla
extract for the most part - I have this big bottle of the real stuff that
came from Mexico - but probably lots of things would work fine.  I soak a
paper towel with vanilla and then rub the towel on corners, the edges of
doors, furniture, baseboards, etc..., all at weasel-height, paying special
attention to areas where she has more trouble navigating.  She's gained a
lot of confidence and will run across a wide open floor, then slow down and
activate "the nose" when coming to a cluttered area.  I need to refresh the
smells every couple of weeks or she starts having more trouble again; the
humans can only smell it for the first half hour or so.  I think I've read
that ferrets aren't really very "directionally-aware" with their noses, but
this really does seem to help Sonic.  Maybe it's because the things I mark
are stationary?  She can't follow me or the other ferrets around by smell,
she just gets left behind and confused...
 
I also carry her with me when I move from room to room while she's up.
The others follow, but she can't manage it usually.  She seems to enjoy
being carried, and she is always happier with the group rather than being
suddenly left in an empty room!  When I forget her and go back a minute
later, it's so sad to see her standing in the middle of the floor, nose
held high sniffing around, and sort of aimlessly walking a few steps in
each direction.  Awwww... She gives me kisses when I pick her up and bring
her to where the action is.  :-)
 
I wrote a little while ago about some health problems Sonic was having;
we're treating her with carafate, amoxi, and biaxin for
Helicobacter/ulcers, and she is improving a bit.  Her tummy still seems a
little sore, but she's eating kibble on her own now and not grinding her
teeth.
 
Best wishes to all,
-Pam S.
[Posted in FML issue 3238]