Hi everyone,
I've been reading all the posts about deafness in ferrets and felt the
need to add my proverbial two cents.  The only deaf ferret I ever met is
an absolute sweetheart.  She was at the shelter where I got Lola the first
time I went there, and was described by the woman who runs the shelter as
"deaf as a little stone, but so sweet!" I went into the room where a whole
mob of ferrets was having playtime, and was immediately rushed at by the
fuzzballs.  I had an aircast on my ankle at the time, and many of them
seemed to think it was some sort of new and wonderful ferret toy.  Anyway,
I see this little DEW shoving her way through the mob, and was informed
that this was the little deaf one.  She clambered up my cast and most
of the way up my leg until i picked her up, and then she hopped to my
shoulder to say hi and give kisses.  I'm not passing judgment on deaf
ferrets one way or the other, I'm sure they have different personalities
the same as hearing ferrets, I'm just telling my experience.  Now to my
question: Lola, who I got from this same shelter, is (I think) a panda.
She actually looks like a little badger, with a spot on each eye, white
toes, and a white tip to her tail.  She can hear perfectly well.  What I
want to know is, does anyone know the percentage of pandas/blazes that
turn out to be deaf?  From what I'm hearing it seems like Lola would have
more of a chance to be deaf than able to hear, is she just lucky?
 
Sorry this took so long!
 
Rachel, Illura and Lola
[Posted in FML issue 3115]