> QUESTIONS: > [1] What are Waardenburg's markings? > > [2] What is a blaze and are they always deaf? How do you tell if a > ferret is deaf and not just ignoring you? Typically Waardenburgs markings are trademarked by a white lock (a white stripe between the eyes and ears of a ferret breaking up other dark markings on the head or the mask). Commonly, they will have other white markings on their body such as white toes (not mitts), a white spot or white tipped tail, sometimes a bib, and irregular white spotching on the stomack. Geneticist Brett Middleton has suggested that it is really best to call these ferrets not those with Waardenburgs but those with Neural Crest disorders. This is because so many ferrets have tons of white splotching that would indicate KIT and/or other neural crest disorders besides Waardenburgs. I researched this out very well (see Sept issue of Ferrets mag, "The Silent World of Deaf Ferrets" for further explanations) and he is certainly correct (as if I have the education to dispell anything lol). If you go to my website, http://wolfysluv.jacksnet.com/deaf.html there are photos of two types of ferrets with probable Waardenburg and other Neural Crest disorders. I must apologize..... this site is outdated. I really do need to rewrite it, but I'm incredibly busy. The main concepts still stand as correct. The training and testing are still right on the money. The testing on that page will take you through a process in which you can begin to decifer if your ferret is deaf or not. The procedures are very reliable. Neural Crest disoders in mammals have a deafness rate that ranges from 50%-78%. I'm not qualified to say this, but in my experience, I've noticed that dark ferrets with just a small blaze and little to no other white markings have the lower rate. Ferrets with the blaze, irregular white splotching, or those that look like blaze/panda mixes have the higher deafness rate. Pandas.... those ferrets with all white heads and shoulders, but a dark body, are almost always deaf. I say "almost" because there have been "panda's" that reportedly hear... but we have no idea if most of those animals were truly born a panda or if they were born faint blazed or pigmented ferrets who lightened in later weeks. If you have further questions, shoot away! :D Wolfy [Posted in FML issue 4304]