Cindy- Waardenburg syndrome is autosomal dominant - this means that if someone carries only 1 gene for this condition, it will be expressed, unlike a recessive condition where 2 genes (1 from each parent) is needed for a condition to be expressed. The white lock is considered "partial albinism" - in humans, children born with this white lock may find that it becomes darker as the child grows. There are other abnormalities associated with WS, but deafness and the white lock seem to the most common/prominent ones. It is thought that older paternal age may be responsible for fresh mutations. This condition was first recognized in cats in 1769, and later in dogs and horses. There is no mention of ferrets in Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformations where I found this info. This book is like the "bible" of genetics - kind of like Robbin's Book is the bible of pathologists - at least of the human variety. :) If ferrets follow the same route as humans, dogs, cats and horses, then if a ferret with this condition, if bred with a normal ferret, would have a 50% risk for each kit to have this condition, and a 50% chance that each kit would be normal. If 2 ferrets with this condition were bred, and assuming they have a 'normal' recessive gene, then 75% of future kits would be at risk for having this condition, and 25% could be normal. Debbie Riccio WNYFLFA Rochester, NY [Posted in FML issue 1286]