|
Post by sherrylynne on Jan 23, 2011 13:24:14 GMT -5
We got Lucrezia at 13 weeks of age. She presented as profoundly deaf. No responses to aural stimulation at all. Frequent DFS episodes, etc. Even the vet told us, yes, she's definitely deaf! She will be 3 years old in May, and the last 2-3 months, we've had hints that she seems to be hearing some things. Nothing certain, simply responses to some things she'd never have noticed previously. It could also have been seeing the other ferrets respond, or noticing movement. This morning, Lucrezia was almost around a corner with her back to me, doing her own thing as per usual, and I was playing with a squeaky with Sinnead. I push on the squeaker on the floor, and Sinnead loves to snuffle at it, and push it around Anyway, Lucrezia's head popped up suddenly when it squeaked, she looked straight at me, and ran to the squeaker toy! I pushed the squeaker again, and she jumped on it, and started wrestling it In going on 3 years, I have NEVER seen this response from her. And it is now consistent! How is this even possible? Could/would she have simply ignored everything for this length of time, and is just now deciding to respond? You know- I almost cried
|
|
vkp23
Going Natural
Posts: 192
|
Post by vkp23 on Jan 23, 2011 13:46:23 GMT -5
I would think that either the problem corrected itself over time. It's possible right? OR you could be right and she was just ignoring you this whole time. Animals have done stranger things. I had a wiener dog when I was a kid that sucked on blankets. YUP that's right, sucked on blankets like a pacifier. He'd have it shoved half way down his throat! Also had a parakeet that loved ramen noodles and talked. Thought it was normal til as an adult found out it wasn't normal for parakeets to talk. One of my hens LITERALLY laughs at you if you try to catcher her and can't. I also had a silkie rooster who thought he could beat up any human he came across. Silkies are bantams which means he was a mini chicken. He was too small to hurt me but he dang sure tried. So I think it's possible for a ferret to seem def for years just cause they didn't feel like responding.
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Jan 23, 2011 14:31:50 GMT -5
I found out a long time ago- that's normal behaviour for most bantams It just struck me as so odd about Lucrezia!
|
|
|
Post by shilohismygirl on Jan 23, 2011 14:52:43 GMT -5
Could it be that when you got her, she had no hearing, and she's regaining it? My dad's eardrum busted once because of an untreated ear infection, and after almost three years of being deaf in that ear, he started to hear. Maybe something like that?Who knows-she could have been ignoring it...ferrets are very silly
|
|
taratee
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Posts: 255
|
Post by taratee on Jan 23, 2011 15:02:59 GMT -5
could it be frequency of the squeeker maybe its high enough pitched or on the right level that she can hear that pitch i know some deaf people can hear certain pitches
|
|
|
Post by novemberkris on Jan 23, 2011 15:21:18 GMT -5
It could be that she has been gaining hearing for some time, but hasn't know what to make of it until that moment. You know, individuals who have gained sight and never had it have trouble making connections with the visual stimuli at first. Maybe you had a moment where it clicked that, "hey, its that toy that does that!" I bet she was excited too, if she's gained hearing back and now making sense of it.
|
|
vkp23
Going Natural
Posts: 192
|
Post by vkp23 on Jan 23, 2011 15:21:28 GMT -5
I found out a long time ago- that's normal behaviour for most bantams It just struck me as so odd about Lucrezia! Is it really?? The rest of our silkies were pretty tame. Had one silkie roo my husband named "Sideways" because he always walked up to you sideways. LOL But that one white silkie roo was a total JERK! You'd have to spar with him and catch him when he was mid-air and then hang him by his feet for a second for him to realize that you were bugger and badder than him. Then he'd be like "yeah ok fine you're the boss" and would finally leave you alone once you set him down. Most of our roos are nice or just indifferent and don't really care. Our flock leader is a HUGE white rock we named "Big Daddy" He keeps all the young roos in line and all the hens prefer to hang around him. But yeah animals are silly. One hen we had would come to the storm door and lay her egg for the day on the deck then look into the house and peck the glass like, "Ok I did my job, where's my food!?"
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Jan 23, 2011 17:35:40 GMT -5
My aunt used to raise bantams. They were ALL like that- hens and roosters You had to wear those really long rubber boots when looking after them, otherwise they'd be pecking at your ankles and lower legs, trying to chase you out of their territory
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 23, 2011 17:51:42 GMT -5
It could be the range that she can hear. I have a number of fuzzes who are deaf, but only 2 who are profoundly deaf. Fun-Go B. Squiggly and Lady "B". Natasha, Boris and Yuri are deaf with exceptions. They cannot hear vocal ranges or any of the low ranges (actually tested them with a musical recording device which measures sounds and the hertz that they are read at) They can hear on the high range. A squeeky toy can be heard. Sounds like your Lucrezia is one of those, unless she had an inner ear issue that could also change when she reaches maturity. ciao
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Jan 23, 2011 18:10:29 GMT -5
That's what I'm wondering, Heather. But I wasn't sure if that could happen or not. I've played with all the squeaky's(with those who like it, that is!), including that one, for quite a long while now. The look on her face was "I heard that!!!" She almost seemed as surprised as I was You do know I'm going to be driving the other ferrets nuts now, trying to figure out if she can hear the other ones now Amongst other things.
|
|
|
Post by tinytippytoes on Jan 23, 2011 19:08:28 GMT -5
You know I can tell you from my wee hood LOL that I used to do that. Im profoundly deaf. I was good at ignoreing people that I didnt want to respond to. I pretended that I didnt hear them when they asked me why I didnt respond. Another thing is she can still be deaf but hear some sharper sounds. I can hear a dog with a sharp bark without my aids but I cant hear a deeper bark. The sounds the trains make when the doors open(those beep beep sounds) annoy me to no end. Squeaks of all kinds tend to annoy me when I have my aids on. So she may hear something but only certain sounds. Hope this helps
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Jan 23, 2011 19:14:59 GMT -5
I agree. I do think she's always going to have a hearing deficit. What has been making us wonder over the last couple of months has been the fact she'll sometimes turn in our direction when we are speaking. I'd been assuming, until today, that it was simply coincidence.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 23, 2011 20:26:04 GMT -5
Fun-Go who is profoundly deaf will sometimes turn toward you when you call, making it look like he can hear but...he doesn't hear me. He feels the vibration from my footsteps. I wish I had a dime for every time that I've scared that poor boy so badly that he's managed to stuff himself under the bookshelf (it's really too small for a male ferret to go under and he gets himself stuck and has to be very gently pulled out by his bottle brush tail) I normally walk quite light, unlike my husband or my son. ciao
|
|
|
Post by tinytippytoes on Jan 23, 2011 20:48:54 GMT -5
Fun-Go who is profoundly deaf will sometimes turn toward you when you call, making it look like he can hear but...he doesn't hear me. He feels the vibration from my footsteps. I wish I had a dime for every time that I've scared that poor boy so badly that he's managed to stuff himself under the bookshelf (it's really too small for a male ferret to go under and he gets himself stuck and has to be very gently pulled out by his bottle brush tail) I normally walk quite light, unlike my husband or my son. ciao I have to add ....never tap a deaf person(or fereet) I swear I respond with shock each and every time. I can be on the train and the conductor will tap me to get a ticket and I jump and lose my breath for a sec. I havent a clue why. Heather when you fiqure out why Fun-Go reacts like that you must let me know!!
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 23, 2011 21:10:16 GMT -5
Personally, I much prefer his new method of being scared. Oh, I also left out he screams too when you scare him. When he first came here, he would scream and then latch on to whatever person was the closest. He would draw blood every time and he wouldn't let go. He was hugely aggressive. Ankles, hands, feet, legs, knees....he didn't care. It took us months, no years to get this little boy's confidence ciao
|
|