We at Ferrets North Information and Rescue Society, got 5 new ferrets in last week. Two pairs of females, and one male. None are up for adoption at this time, however, they will be soon so keep your eyes peeled =)
The first pair:
One pair came from a very good home that, due to allergies that flared up after getting a second ferret, could no longer keep the animals. The two girls are young. The older of the two is 8-9 months old, cinnamon, and deaf. She has beautiful burgundy eyes and an extremely loving personality. The younger one is only 3 months old and absolutely nutso. She is an adorable sable that loves running about dooking, but due to an extreme amount of energy, will likely need to be near free roam. We would like to keep these lovely girls together
The second pair:
Again, one cinnamon and one sable, these two girls are a bit older. Their owners simply no longer had time for them and as a result, they wound up being caged far more than they would have liked. The cinnamon who, at this time is reeling from the trauma of a home change, is a very sweet five year old female. We are not sure if she has mobility problems at this time as she had been caged a fair amount; her foster family is assessing her and working with her to build up her muscle. We will soon be able to tell whether the troubles are simply muscle loss of whether she has some neurological issues. Her friend is a two year old sable who, though a bit high strung, has a real taste for adventure. She comes out of her shell rapidly and loves to play. At this time the sable female has a rectal prolapse. We are keeping an eye on it and, if it does not remedy itself, will likely need surgical intervention. Though this pair does not seem to be good with other ferrets, they would make a lovely addition to any home looking for ferrets.
The male:
At this time, he is afraid of other ferrets and not quite sure how to be a ferret himself. His former owners rescued him from an abusive situation; he had been kicked repeatedly by his first owners when he was a kit and had sustained severe injuries to his hind end. Though his rescuers were able to get him walking again, this little guy has long lasting neurological issues. Because we are not sure how these issues will progress, this little guy may not be adoptable and may end up being permanently fostered by an experienced ferret owner. We are continuing to work on mobility with him and are gradually introducing him to other ferrets to see how he reacts.
Showing posts with label deaf ferrets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deaf ferrets. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Living with a deaf ferret
Most deaf ferrets get along just fine, and so long as the owners are willing to make a few adjustments in their behaviour, owning a deaf ferret can be a very rewarding experience. While every ferret is different, here are a few tips to guide new owners in the right direction.
Tip 1: Tap before you grab. Remember - the ferret may not know that you are there and some ferrets react negatively to suddenly becoming airborne. The simple fix for this: gently tap your ferret on the shoulder to warn him that you there before picking him or her up. This will reduce shock for the ferret and the likelihood of you getting a nice startled nip.
Tip 2: If you have more than one ferret, watch for rough play. When he is playing with other ferrets, keep your eyes and ears open. A deaf ferret may not know when the other ferrets have had enough - he can't hear them say so! If your deaf ferret is beginning to play too roughly, there is not sense in getting angry to punishing him - he'll have no idea what he's done wrong! Instead, pick him up for a few seconds and allow the other ferret to 'disappear'.
Tip 3: He's deaf, not stupid. If you would like to train your ferret, do so. Deaf ferrets can be trained to respond to hand signals for "come", "beg", "roll over" and other tricks. Some deaf ferrets can even be taught to respond to vibrations on the floor . To train your deaf ferret, simply do the hand signal, use the treat to bribe him into doing the appropriate action, then reward him with treats, pets or play and repeat. Be sure to keep the training sessions short.
Tip 4: Appreciate the fact that at least your deaf ferret will not complain when you sing in the shower!
For more information on living with deaf ferrets, click here.
Tip 1: Tap before you grab. Remember - the ferret may not know that you are there and some ferrets react negatively to suddenly becoming airborne. The simple fix for this: gently tap your ferret on the shoulder to warn him that you there before picking him or her up. This will reduce shock for the ferret and the likelihood of you getting a nice startled nip.
Tip 2: If you have more than one ferret, watch for rough play. When he is playing with other ferrets, keep your eyes and ears open. A deaf ferret may not know when the other ferrets have had enough - he can't hear them say so! If your deaf ferret is beginning to play too roughly, there is not sense in getting angry to punishing him - he'll have no idea what he's done wrong! Instead, pick him up for a few seconds and allow the other ferret to 'disappear'.
Tip 3: He's deaf, not stupid. If you would like to train your ferret, do so. Deaf ferrets can be trained to respond to hand signals for "come", "beg", "roll over" and other tricks. Some deaf ferrets can even be taught to respond to vibrations on the floor . To train your deaf ferret, simply do the hand signal, use the treat to bribe him into doing the appropriate action, then reward him with treats, pets or play and repeat. Be sure to keep the training sessions short.Tip 4: Appreciate the fact that at least your deaf ferret will not complain when you sing in the shower!
For more information on living with deaf ferrets, click here.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Litter Training deaf ferrets
A few months ago, I got a ferret and discovered that he was deaf. My first reaction, for some strange reason, was "how am I going to litter train him?". This, it turns out, is not as big of a deal as I thought that it would be. Litter training a deaf ferret is much like litter training a ferret that can hear, minus the ferret's ability to hear you praise them or tell them to use their litter; it requires patience, consistency and positive reinforcement. To litter train your deaf ferret, place them in their litter immediately after they have woken up. If they leave before using their litter or fake using their litter, replace them in the litter. Keep putting the ferret back in the litter box until they go to the bathroom. 
Once the ferret uses the litter, give him a gentle pat or a treat to show them that they have done something good. Repeat this process whenever you wake your ferret up or notice that they have woken up. Eventually, your ferret will figure out that using the litter box makes you happy and will (hopefully) begin frequenting the box.
Once the ferret uses the litter, give him a gentle pat or a treat to show them that they have done something good. Repeat this process whenever you wake your ferret up or notice that they have woken up. Eventually, your ferret will figure out that using the litter box makes you happy and will (hopefully) begin frequenting the box.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Nip Training a Deaf Ferret.
Yes, it can be a bit trickier than nip training a ferret that can hear. The classic "OW! NO!" response to a nippy kit will not work - they can't hear you say it! Fortunately, a gentle pinning scruff or scruff and drag works just as well with deaf ferrets as it does with ferrets that can hear and can be used to teach the little guy what sort of behaviour is appropriate and what is not. Again, this does not hurt the ferret. 
As with any ferret, consistency and patience are important - some ferrets will get the idea immediately while others take a bit more time to figure out that people are not chew toys. You should NEVER flick, hit or spank a ferret - deaf of not - for any reason. Rather than teach the animal what behaviour is appropriate, hitting, flicking and spanking will teach the ferret to be fearful at best and aggressive at worst.
As with any ferret, consistency and patience are important - some ferrets will get the idea immediately while others take a bit more time to figure out that people are not chew toys. You should NEVER flick, hit or spank a ferret - deaf of not - for any reason. Rather than teach the animal what behaviour is appropriate, hitting, flicking and spanking will teach the ferret to be fearful at best and aggressive at worst.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Oh no! My ferret is deaf?!
So, you've just gotten a new ferret. If your ferret jumps when you go to touch it (or bites out of surprise when touched from behind or when woken up), has Waardensburg markers, or does not seem to respond to stimuli such as chirping toys which, at the very least, draw most ferret's attention even if only for a second, then you should test the animal for deafness.
TESTING FOR DEAFNESS:
When testing for deafness, it is important test the animal more than once - repeat the test at different times to ensure that you don't get a false positive or negative. Keep in mind that deaf ferrets have learned to cope with deafness and will often follow the lead of ferrets that can hear, so it is best to test your ferret's hearing either on its own or with a deaf ferret to decrease the likelihood of false responses.
HOW TO:
1) When your ferret is not paying attention to you, take a noisemaker - pennies or marbles in a jar work well - and shake it behind the ferret. The ferret, if it can hear, should look at you or dart away and peer our at you from under a couch. Be sure that the ferret does not see you shaking the jar as this may illicit a false response - the ferret will get excited or look at you to see what you are up to.
2) Repeat the test with other noisemakers and at different times. If your ferret is deaf, the response will be the same each time - he or she will continue on with what they are doing (unless they see you shaking a noise maker, at which case they will more than likely see you shaking an object and begin to get excited)
3) Squeaky toys can be used for testing, HOWEVER, be aware that some ferrets that are have Waardensburg syndrome are not stone deaf and may be able to hear certain frequencies. These ferrets should be treated as deaf because, for all intents and purposes, they are. They may be able to hear a squeak, but will not be able to hear you approach them when they are asleep.
TESTING FOR DEAFNESS:
When testing for deafness, it is important test the animal more than once - repeat the test at different times to ensure that you don't get a false positive or negative. Keep in mind that deaf ferrets have learned to cope with deafness and will often follow the lead of ferrets that can hear, so it is best to test your ferret's hearing either on its own or with a deaf ferret to decrease the likelihood of false responses.
HOW TO:
1) When your ferret is not paying attention to you, take a noisemaker - pennies or marbles in a jar work well - and shake it behind the ferret. The ferret, if it can hear, should look at you or dart away and peer our at you from under a couch. Be sure that the ferret does not see you shaking the jar as this may illicit a false response - the ferret will get excited or look at you to see what you are up to.
2) Repeat the test with other noisemakers and at different times. If your ferret is deaf, the response will be the same each time - he or she will continue on with what they are doing (unless they see you shaking a noise maker, at which case they will more than likely see you shaking an object and begin to get excited)
3) Squeaky toys can be used for testing, HOWEVER, be aware that some ferrets that are have Waardensburg syndrome are not stone deaf and may be able to hear certain frequencies. These ferrets should be treated as deaf because, for all intents and purposes, they are. They may be able to hear a squeak, but will not be able to hear you approach them when they are asleep.
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