This is for Michelle & John & Tasha: We, too, have a deaf ferret--Ralph. He is a blaze (I think that's the same as a shetland), with a white stripe down his head and dark lines under his eyes (like eyeliner). Several other people with this type of ferret have said theirs are deaf too. But I don't know if there's any proven connection. Ralph is an incredibly sweet ferret. Very gentle, though not very calm & cuddly. We taught him not to nip hard (or at all!) using bitter apple. Any time we'd play with him we'd put bitter apple (available in a pet supply store) all over our hands. He hated the taste, but for a while thought it was just the price you pay to bite someone. He did learn. It took a while after that to get him to stop biting when a finger was stuck into the cage. I think it's important not to sneak up on a deaf ferret. They tend to nip first and ask questions later. Ralph is very quick to recognize flesh, however, and doesn't bite down but does give me a look like: "you should know better, Mom!" Good luck with your little furry one. Mary Shefferman, Editor-in-Chief Sabrina, Ralph, Marshmallow & Knuks, Ferrets-in-Residence Modern Ferret Magazine [Posted in FML issue 1090]