Through the years many ferrets have joined our family because they were biters. The majority of these ferrets have been deaf. A high majority have been abused and some had physical evidence of that abuse. A situation I'll never forget involved a call from someone wanting to get a ferret. We talked about her experience and I learned she once had found a stray ferret that was a terrible biter. She tried everything she could think of and what her vet suggested she tried as well. Finally when she had enough, her vet suggested euthanisia... and she agreed. I dug deeper. We finally determined that this poor innocent being had been deaf and no one, I repeat - NO ONE had figured it out, and from his reactions we determined he had previously been abused. A vibrant life was snuffed out because the caretaker, and her vet, hadn't figure out he was deaf. She felt terrible but the fact remains that a deaf ferret was needlessly and wrongfully euthanized. If only she had contacted me BEFORE the decision.... Pet Store personnel are not normally trained to detect defects. With tiny kits in groups, it would be more difficult to detect a hearing defect for the untrained. Not all pet stores have caring trained personnel, some are only there for a job, some are too busy with all their duties, and some are there to socialize with pay. The caring knowledgable staff and management in pet stores is in the minority from my experience. I don't mean to be too stern in my post but I do mean to get my point across. Just because you, or anyone in your area wouldn't harm a deaf ferret, doesn't mean others won't. Ignorance and lack of knowledge, training and research on what companion animals need and deserve runs rampant in our world. And yes, that does sometimes lead to abuse. tle www.ferretfamilyservices.org [Posted in FML issue 4885]