In yesterday's post we told you about our 1 year old chocolate ferret
Sharkie who is deaf, and we have NEVER had a problem with her.  Well,
today she amazed us once again.  She knows that I shake my hand at them
when they climb the cage, so she saw Bootz starting to climb and she came
running and knocked him down, as if to tell him not to do it.  Now, he was
only at the bottom of the cage, but our deaf ferret knew our rules and
stopped him.  When she did this we gave her a treat.
 
She knows hand signals and she actually listens better most of the time
than our hearing ferrets do.  She uses the liter pan, does tricks by hand
signal and when we knock on the floor she comes out to see what we want,
EVERY time.  When all the other 5 come for their num num when I yell for
them, Sharkie is ALWAYS right there with them, sometimes it's hard to tell
she can't hear.
 
I do not believe our deaf ferrets are defective, as they are living,
loving animals.  They need the same LOVE, the same CARE, the same
ATTENTION that all hearing ferrets need.  I have my mother in law over
all the time and I have never told her Sharkie is deaf.  When she wants
Sharkie to just motions to her to come and there she is.  Sharkie has
actually learned tricks and commands quicker than some of our hearing
ferrets, and she is so full of love.
 
She has been a complete blessing in our life and I am so glad we have her.
The reason the pet store couldn't sell her was because she was deaf, and
when I saw her I had to bring her home to love.  The ONLY time I can tell
she is deaf is when I squeak a squeaky toy for the others to come, I know
she doesn't hear it, but she always watches the other 5 ferrets and is
right there with them.  When she is hiding all we do is knock on the floor
and she comes running to mommy or daddy, ALL THE TIME.  Please, don't
think of deaf ferrets as defective, or even different than the others,
because they ALL need love.  Blind ferrets, sick ferrets, deaf ferrets,
older ferrets, they ALL need love and THEY ALL GIVE LOVE.  This is just
our opinion and our experience with our deaf ferret.  She is one in a
million, and not because she is deaf, because of the love she gives to
us, and to her brothers and sisters.
 
Lynn & Bob, Taz, Sharkie, Jack, Jill, Bootz, Daisy Lou
[Posted in FML issue 3115]