Quoth Kelly White... >Also. I think my roommate's ferret, Cosette, is deaf. How can you tell >for sure? Has anyone shoulder trained a deaf ferret? If they can't hear >the newspapers rustle, what's an alternative method for this? (she isn't >afraid of falling) Welcome to the whacky world of deaf ferrets! How do you find out for sure if they're deaf? Easy: Wait until Cosette is looking away, and then drop a pan on the floor, and watch for lack of reaction. I first suspected it in Sidney when I noticed that I had startled him when I reached to pick him up, even though I had been in the room talking to him for several seconds prior. Though I would never purposely seek out this trait, a deaf ferret makes for a fascinating study in adaptation and intelligence: Sidney is *far* more visually alert than either Daisy or Zeke; and I swear that I've seen Zeke poke Sid with his nose to wake him up, seeming to know that the noise in the room wasn't going to do it. Though I haven't done a lot in this area, I've read that several people have taught their deaf ferrets some basic hand signals. And Sid seemed to perfectly understand the meaning of being scruffed after a bite or nip; he doesn't bite at all now, and has even become a good "kisser." It also seems to be true that deaf ferrets are generally more vocal than hearing ones: Sid squeaks and grunts more than either of the other two. Otherwise, they're just the same as any other ferret--goofy, dorky, fun, and loveable. Paul Sadek [log in to unmask] Visit The Sadek Pet Gallery at http://ww2.sd.cybernex.net/~psadek/pets.html [Posted in FML issue 1755]