>Rocky, my deaf one I was writing about that has what I consider the
>"classic" WS symptoms, looks exactly like Ping that you have a picture of
>on your website.  (Exactly as in down to a tee) Is Ping completely deaf?
 
Ping is profoundly deaf.  Pong is deaf, but I suspect can hear certain
frequencies very faintly.  I don't think coloration has much to do with
that however.  I mean I've seen plenty of ferrets that have even more
white on their head than Ping (blazes..  or blaze/panda mixes), that are
not deaf.  I have do not know of any specific traits that are associated
with WS that indicative of "always" being deaf or not.  Except for one,
and of course I've run into arugument over that.... that is a true panda.
A true panda is born a true panda.  So many times a ferret is born with
some coloration in its head, but has lost it through time (even while
very young), and I think those are the specific cases of "pandas" that
can hear.  Yes of course they are a panda in markings.  But that does not
mean they were born a panda genetically. :)
 
Back to your question, whether Rocky has WS or not, he can have partial
deafness (or hearing lol).  Sure. :)  That is entirely possible.
 
Wolfy
 
Please visit:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
for information on ferret deafness:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html
[Posted in FML issue 3803]