Randy,
 
Job, my deaf ferret, also has rather large feet and head, my husband tells
me that if he grows into his feet we're in deep trouble because he's only 3
months and already almost a large as Bear, our largest male ferret.  Job
also puts his head back and looks around, strangest thing I've seen too, but
he does it vertical or horizontal, very different behavior from our other
12, at first I wondered if he had a problem with his neck holding his head
up.  He's not real bad about startling, he's not scared of anything, but got
me pretty good one day when he was chewing on a pen (ball pen) and I reached
from behind him to take it away, OUCH!  He was sorry and hasn't done it
again but I try to let him know I'm there before touching him or taking
things away from him!  Other than that he's a real cuddle bunny and his fur
is soooooo soft!!!!  He's a porker and with his soft fur you just want to
bury your face in his neck!  When I say a porker I mean it, my daughter
scruffed him so we could trim his nails and his neck almost covered up his
head!  He's not real picky with his food, like the majority of mine are,
he'll eat anything that doesn't eat him first!  Really, I'm trying to watch
his diet tho' because I don't want him to get sick or have heart problems
because of his weight.  He's definitely a character and we love him.  He was
so tiny and frail looking when we got him, you just would not believe he is
the same ferret.
 
Anyone with anymore information or characteristics that might relate to deaf
ferrets, I would be interested.  Mine isn't a blaze tho' he's a silver mitt
with red eyes (and 6 toes on his right rear paw, had to think about that
one), so I figure it's probably bad genetics on his breeders part.  The same
Canadian breeder (Please, not a flame meant for Canadians only where this
one breeder is located) was selling to other pet shops here in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa also and most were silver mitts that appeared to be deaf also and had
problems with prolapsed rectums.  One shop owner, that I took aside and
asked her to check them carefully as I noticed a prolapsed rectum and
apparent deafness, said they were delivered and accepted while she was not
at the shop and she would be contacting that breeder and didn't think she
would be buying anymore from them.  Sorry to go on, hope this is not too
long.  Just worried about Fuzzies.
 
Vicky and her mob (actually with this many, a "business" of ferrets is a
fair assessment of the upkeep cost or the "busyness" of ferrets because of
the flurry of their comical activity) of 12 plus her son's ferret (because
she makes his apt. smell) makes 13.
[Posted in FML issue 1576]