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Post by whipple on Jul 30, 2008 19:47:36 GMT -5
I am looking it up for myself, but if anyone has any good information on it, I'd appreciate it.
Besides the deafness, is there anything else it causes? Does it cause any distress in a ferrets life?
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jul 30, 2008 20:34:32 GMT -5
Nothing detrimental by any means, but the deafies do tend to be... uh... "special."
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 30, 2008 21:07:34 GMT -5
I think aleronferrets and josiesmom can both offer info. I'll go grab 'em.
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Post by Jaycee on Jul 30, 2008 21:40:50 GMT -5
Piper has Waardenburg Syndrome. She matched the description to a "T".
Charactoristics usually are the bibbed front, white toes, white knees, and a blaze. My Piper has all of these except the blaze, and is deaf as a post. She really isn't any different from my other ferrets that can hear. Only, she won't come a running to squeeky toys like my others...to get them out of trouble. I have heard you can train them with lazer pointers or sign language, though.
I tested my theory to Pipers deafness by turning on a vacuum while she was sleeping, and shaking a can of coins above her head while sleeping. I recieved no reaction, but scared the crud out of my others.
Like I said, really no difference in the hearing abled, and the hearing impaired. In fact, I sort of like the deaf ones and would adopt another one in a heart beat. I don't think there are any other problems associated with it. I do know that a lot of times kits will die before birth due to the malformation of their heads which causes the blaze on the ferrets head. In other words, blazes are blazes due to a malformation of the cranium making the head wider than a normal ferret. Other ferrets are born hearing abled, but lose the tiny hairs in the ear which allows the sound to be processed. I think your ferret will be just fine.
Good luck to you!
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Post by quill on Jul 30, 2008 21:53:02 GMT -5
The deaf ones are easier to take outside or to strange places because they can't hear. Chaos was deaf and always stayed so calm when outside. Yuki and Nikko are still quite jumpy outside with all the new sounds. I trained Chaos to come by tapping on the floor or bottom of his cage. He could feel the vibrations. He didn't seem to pay any attention to the laser or flashlight that some train with. Silly ferts...they are all so different! lol Also, when you want to 'talk' to your deaf ferret just place him/her against your chest or neck...they can feel the vibrations. I used to 'dook' to Chaos like that and he loved it!!!
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Post by aleronferrets on Jul 30, 2008 21:57:04 GMT -5
Nothing detrimental by any means, but the deafies do tend to be... uh... "special." Not true at all. Actually deafness is the least of the concerns associated with WaardenburgSyndrome. Actually the gene is not liklely Waardenburg Syndrome exactly but a neural crest defect similiar to Waardenburg Syndrome. Other things that are associated with this genetic defect are skull deformities, jaw deformities, deformed or missing eyes, missing eyes or abnormal eyes, cardiomyopathy, digestive problems and changes in the immune system. Sadly these ferrets tend to have shortened life expectancy - most I have known have not made it past five However, IMO and IME that doesn't always have to be the case. Natural care is even more important with these ferrets than "normal" ferrets. A natural diet is a must and care should be used when making choices about vaccines, pesticides and drugs. I have had pretty good luck with my natural care neural crest defect ferrets healthwise. Morgan is 8 years old and aside from adrenal she is one of the healthiest old ferrets her well known ferret vet has seen. Iggy lived to be over nine years old, outliving the majority of his immediate relatives by at least 3 years. One person who was collecting data on neural crest disorder ferrets said Iggy was the oldest she had heard of. Morgan was purchased at a petstore at 7-8 weeks old. She is an early alter and was vaccinated once before going to the store. She was switched to a raw diet as soon as I brought her home, has never had another vaccine (besides her recent "adrenal vaccine" which isn't like a regular vaccine), never been on medication and has had flea treatments only a handful of times. Iggy was one of my first raw fed ferrets - he was switched from kibble at about 2ish. Around the same time I stopped vaccinating the ferrets, so he had I believe one distemper series and a rabies shot. He also had just a handful of flea treatments in his life and was never on medication. Iggy was from a breeder and neutered at 6 months.
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 30, 2008 22:45:39 GMT -5
Fracking computer- ate the first entire post! Waarednberg Syndrome technically only applies to humans, not ferrets. The actual problem is "neural Crest disorder". A problem in neural crest cells wherein they do not develop properly. These cells begin in the embryonic stage and migrate throughout the embryo to become other organs, cartilage, nerves and tissues. GO here to learn some more on neural crest cells: www.brown.edu/Courses/BI0032/neurcrst/migrate.htmWhen these cells have a disorder the organism can develop albinism, melanoma and other neurocrestopathies. Internally this can mean the animal's nervous system is not as developed as it should be, its digestive system is not properly innervated even its bones can be affected! Outwardly this results in a ferret ( or animal) with a lot of white on its head and many other white markings too- white mitts, tip of the tail, knees. The head markings could be a blaze, one or both ears are all white, the entire head is white, they have a white bib too or a white cape. Their head tends to be broader with the eyes set a little lower and they exhibit a "baby face". They are usually totally deaf or have a hearing impairment. This stems not as much from improper nerve channels as much as it is from actually improper formation of the cochlea bone within the ear itself! Often the nerve channels in the cervical spine are narrower and sometimes deformed. The ferret's jaws don't open as wide as normal ferrets. There seems to be a connection of ferrets with Neural crest disorders and other diseases too. My vet thinks that becauase Josie was born a Panda, this predisposed her to the Juvenile Lymphosarcoma. Animals with white markings are often sought after at pet shops and breeders because they are considered more "cute" than their counterparts that exhibit "normal" coloration. Neural Crest Disorder may be tied in with the fox "star gene" which has been shown to show up when subsequent generations are bred for "domesticity". Humans tend to breed for considerable white markings in many animals and after generations of these breedings, only then after other health problems have become prevalent do they begin to realize that while white markings ARE found in nature, they are there as warnings or camouflage. The white markings are generally NOT on the head- but rather along the ventral surface or edges. Humans will breed for a "star" , which becomes a strip, which becomes a blaze, which then begets white sox, and then maybe a white ear, then two white ears and a bib, then finally we end up with a cute white faced animal with a bib, four white sox and a cute white tail- but the animal now has other problems! Ferrets since the early days of domestication were selected for albinism because it is easier to find a white ferret in the thicket than a sable ferret! also the more white an animal has on it, the less "wild" it is perceived to be. This is a good site to understand the "fox Star" gene 8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=223And this is a great site to understand deaf ferrets. www.wolfysluv.com/deaf.htmlin short to improve the health of a species, they need to stay as close to their natural form as possible! Cheers, Kim
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Post by weloveourweasels on Jul 31, 2008 0:47:26 GMT -5
I'm no expert on it at all. I am not even 100% certain that Mr. Bean is COMPLETELY deaf I think he may be severely impaired. I think this could also be why he has this drainage thing going on with his eyes although it seems to be getting better. As you can see in his pictures he shows all the characteristics for havening the Waardenburg syndrome. He has the low set eyes with the baby face too. So if not completely deaf I know for sure he is hearing impaired. Like Jaycee I tested his hearing as well with no response. I got a metal pan and banged on it and he didn't budge. He doesn't respond to the vacuum either. I mentioned that I think he was deaf to the receptionist when I made his appointment and she asked if I want him tested. I asked for the price and she said she didn't know so I will ask the vet how much it is. I will be making a questionnaire for him to find out about possible surgery costs if needed and emergency fees. So I will add that to my list. I don't need to know if he is but it would be good to know how well if at all he can hear. You can read about the test here. www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Deaf.htm
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Post by amyandfuzzies6 on Jul 31, 2008 15:53:54 GMT -5
Fracking computer- ate the first entire post! Waarednberg Syndrome technically only applies to humans, not ferrets. The actual problem is "neural Crest disorder". A problem in neural crest cells wherein they do not develop properly. These cells begin in the embryonic stage and migrate throughout the embryo to become other organs, cartilage, nerves and tissues. GO here to learn some more on neural crest cells: www.brown.edu/Courses/BI0032/neurcrst/migrate.htmWhen these cells have a disorder the organism can develop albinism, melanoma and other neurocrestopathies. Internally this can mean the animal's nervous system is not as developed as it should be, its digestive system is not properly innervated even its bones can be affected! Outwardly this results in a ferret ( or animal) with a lot of white on its head and many other white markings too- white mitts, tip of the tail, knees. The head markings could be a blaze, one or both ears are all white, the entire head is white, they have a white bib too or a white cape. Their head tends to be broader with the eyes set a little lower and they exhibit a "baby face". They are usually totally deaf or have a hearing impairment. This stems not as much from improper nerve channels as much as it is from actually improper formation of the cochlea bone within the ear itself! Often the nerve channels in the cervical spine are narrower and sometimes deformed. The ferret's jaws don't open as wide as normal ferrets. There seems to be a connection of ferrets with Neural crest disorders and other diseases too. My vet thinks that becauase Josie was born a Panda, this predisposed her to the Juvenile Lymphosarcoma. Animals with white markings are often sought after at pet shops and breeders because they are considered more "cute" than their counterparts that exhibit "normal" coloration. Neural Crest Disorder may be tied in with the fox "star gene" which has been shown to show up when subsequent generations are bred for "domesticity". Humans tend to breed for considerable white markings in many animals and after generations of these breedings, only then after other health problems have become prevalent do they begin to realize that while white markings ARE found in nature, they are there as warnings or camouflage. The white markings are generally NOT on the head- but rather along the ventral surface or edges. Humans will breed for a "star" , which becomes a strip, which becomes a blaze, which then begets white sox, and then maybe a white ear, then two white ears and a bib, then finally we end up with a cute white faced animal with a bib, four white sox and a cute white tail- but the animal now has other problems! Ferrets since the early days of domestication were selected for albinism because it is easier to find a white ferret in the thicket than a sable ferret! also the more white an animal has on it, the less "wild" it is perceived to be. This is a good site to understand the "fox Star" gene 8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=223And this is a great site to understand deaf ferrets. www.wolfysluv.com/deaf.htmlin short to improve the health of a species, they need to stay as close to their natural form as possible! Cheers, Kim I know our Spooky falls into this category and he's a DEW. He was completely deaf when he 1st came home but has some hearing. I know the nerves in his spine aren't 100% formed either by the way he moves. And last but not least, his recent issues with his liver when none of our others have any liver issues and all have eaten the same foods.
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Post by Jaycee on Jul 31, 2008 16:28:48 GMT -5
You know, my Whisp is a DEW, and I didn't realize until last night that she is deaf too. I have owned her for over a month now, and never suspected it! So both Piper and Whisp are my deaf ferrets! I shook a can of coins over a sleeping batch of ferrets, and everyone took off running in all directions....except Piper and Whisp who looked up briefly to see why everyone was running but then went back to sleep.
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Post by aleronferrets on Aug 4, 2008 11:39:09 GMT -5
also the more white an animal has on it, the less "wild" it is perceived to be. The interesting thing about the fox study is that the breeders were not selecting for the white markings, they were selecting for docile temperaments. In selecting for docile temperaments, changes in the fox's appearence happened as well including longer coats, white markings and floppy ears. It is very interesting how temperament and looks are tied together so closely.
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Post by pear2apple on Aug 5, 2008 21:55:26 GMT -5
Kiwi is a DEW and she I think is completely deaf. I banged a spoon on a tin can above her sleeping and no response, then I woke her up and did the same behind her back and she didn't move. Apple however perked up and stared at me like I was crazy (he was in a separate cage). She loses her balance easily and prefers to sit on my shoulder and view the world from up there.
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Post by hales on Aug 6, 2008 20:25:55 GMT -5
Me and my neighbor both have deaf ferrets... One is a blaze sable with the white "knee pads", and our Molly..I'm not sure what color she is..but shes got the panda and blaze markings. Both of them are the skinny ferrets of the 7 ferret group in our apartment complex...and both are the most rambunctious. Molly has probably the most personality I have ever seen in a ferret... They're both incredibly vocal, and they love to fight more than other ferrets. They also seem to be more agile, and jump in more crazy directions/positions when they war dance. They even have more energy...staying up an hour or so after the rest of the crew has passed out. I've noticed that they also approach people more. If you're busy doing something, it will be one of those two that will come and bug you, craving attention. Personally, I wouldn't trade our deaf ferrets for anything. And they seem to be very healthy as is, so I have no complaints at all. I know some people consider them to be "defective"....and I'm just glad they came to our home instead of someone who will think they're sub-par ferrets. Just my experience.
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Post by whipple on Aug 6, 2008 21:51:28 GMT -5
I am in love with Teddy. He is the one who is deaf. He is absolutely gorgeous, and by far the most lovable and cuddly. He is also the only one who does not fight with Rascal, and she is quite anti social. He is just such a great little guy, and I wouldn't trade him for a hearing fert for anything.
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