Patricia Curtis wrote of a great training technique for deaf ferrets in
Ferrets USA 2002 issue .  I"m so jealous that I didn't think of it myself.
lol I need to write them and ask if its ok to put it on my site as long as
I give her total credit.  Does anyone know their email so that I may write
them?
 
She wrote about how everytime you enter a room where a deaf ferret is,
to flash the light switch and have a treat ready.  After you flash the
lights, go get the ferret, then put it down on the floor by where you
entered the room and flashed the switch..  then flash the lights again
and give the treat.  She says pretty soon the ferrets will come to the
spot you train them too.  This is great to find ferrets and to "call
them" in an emergency.
 
I will begin to do this as I got very lazy with my lazer pointer and
treats as of late, and now my two deaf boys are not responding very well.
Maybe it will be easier to do this than the pointer?  Who knows.  If it
works for them, then I'll be more inspired to work with them with the
pointer and such.  I think since I moved into this house and they have
their own room this year, I've just dropped all my training taking it for
granted it would be like riding a bike for them.  Wrong.  I'm beat from
chasing human kids and such, and I"m lazy right now.  lol.
 
Anyway this author also says its good to warn a ferret with that before
you wake them too?  However this I know would not work for me.  Every
deaf ferret I've had is such a deep, deep sleeper that I can flick on
the lights in the dead of night, and they sleep right on through it.
But thats just me, there are light sleepers deaf or not, and that would
possibly be a good thing. :)
 
Wolfy
 
Please visit:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
for information on ferret deafness:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html
[Posted in FML issue 3720]