Blind Ferret?

Question
QUESTION: How can you tell if a ferret is blind?  I just adopted a ferret and she has some sort of problem with her back legs or spine.  She's dose not seem to be in any pain, but I will be getting her X-rays very soon either way.  She can get around but cannot jump and she is wobbly.  She also runs into things.  The main reason why I think she is blind is because she does not look up at my like my other ferrets nor does she look around the room.  What are the signs of a blind ferret? is there any way to tell for sure?

ANSWER: I am not a ferret expert but any animal that bumps into things is having some kind of vision problems. If she is all white there is a chance she is blind, but again, I am not a ferret expert. They are illegal in California so we never saw very many of them.

There is a panel of experts in here for exotics. You might want to give them a try. Repost the same question to them. Just copy and paste it so that you don't have to re-write it all.

It sounds like she wasn't raised o very good food if she is having so many issues with walking etc. It's good that you are getting her xrayed. You should have some blood work done on her as well and get her on some good food.

Good luck with her!

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Gibby's White Eyes   QUESTION: The Ferret experts are maxed out or unavalible.  I did notice that she has a white opaque color deep in her eyeballs. When she gets her pic taken it reflects back in the photo.  I'm assuming it is cataracts?  Is there any other eye conditions that you know of or could this be normal?

Answer
How old is this ferret? If the color deep in her eyes is white that is not a cataract but it is called anterior uveitis. It has many causes.

Here is a page about common eye issues with ferrets:

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-dept/avian-exotic-dept/common-ferret-e

There is this one as well but it's pretty medically jargon-filled, so I don't know if it will help.
http://books.google.com/books?id=rJiv3EWJTPcC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&dq=anterior+uve

In dogs and cats, anterior uveitis is common as the animal ages and it is not a disease process but rather an aging one.I would assume that the same could hold true for ferrets. Since they are members of the weasel family, you could look up health issues in weasels, but there is a plethora of information online about ferrets themselves.

I would have the vet look her over no matter what. That's about all I can tell you, sorry!!