My Deaf Ferret

Question
We have had a ferret for about three weeks. He is about three months old. he used his litter box alot when we first trained him. now all of a sudden he barely uses it. We have two litter pans one inside the cage and one outside. He doesn't really use the one outside anymore and and he does use the one inside, but now hes been "going" in the opposite corner. I spray the corner and the rest of the corners hes gone in outside the cage with ferret spray but nothing works. He won't do anything we want cause he can't hear us but we do tap him on the butt when he does something wrong. Hes been acting up and chewing on electrical wires even though he knows its wrong. My boyfriend told me I have two weeks to train him or he is gonna get rid of him. Hes been a pest but he is the cutest thing and im so attached i love him please help!!!

Answer
Hi Brandee:

Congratulations on your new ferret......I'm sure you think I'm "crazy" saying that under the current circumstances of him being deaf.   However, in my experience, when deaf ferrets are handled properly, they are the sweetest and smartest ferrets of all - in addition to being sooo cute!

Ferrets are usually deaf because they have something called "Waardensburg Syndrome", which was a breeding experiment that was done to try to get more white fur around ferret's faces.  Once you see half a dozen deaf ferrets, you will be able to pick out the little deafies just by looking at them!  Personally, they are my favorites.

However - little deafies DO take a bit more patience and understanding in the beginning until they understand what you are trying to tell them. They MUST be able to see your face if you are talking to them....you must never come up from behind to pick them up (it scares the bejeebers out of them LOL)...just a few things like that can make a BIG difference in your relationship with your little one.  If you can imagine how tiny they are and how big your hand seems to them, you can understand why a little smack on the bottom, or approaching them from the back where they can't see your hand coming at them is a big deal to them and will, in the long run, cause MORE problems, not less, because they are scared. You have to develop trust and a form of communication to be able to have a well-behaved deaf ferret. I know MANY MANY people who have deafies and wouldn't trade them for the world!!  However, many many deaf ferrets end up being abused because their owners just don't understand or take the time to learn how to communicate with them. It's so sad, because it really doesn't need to be that way - just a few simple tricks and you will be right on track to an awesome little pet!

There is so much to tell you about what you need to know about working with a little deafie - communicating with them, disciplining them, training them and helping them understand what you want.  There is an incredibly website made by a lady who had a deafie and she specializes in working with them now. I think her website should answer all your questions, and probably even some you haven't thought of yet.  So, I will give you her website and ask that you read it thoroughly - she has a TON of information there. If you have any questions at all after reading that, or any further problems, please don't hesitate to write again - I really feel that all your questions (and many more) will be answered here:  

http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html

(you may have to cut and paste it into your browser to be able to use the link)

Best of luck, Brandee.  Please don't hesitate to write again.  I truly hope that you will stand up for your ferret and if the boyfriend is really intolerant of the ferret, that you will find a good home for him where they will understand him....just don't let him be abused because of his deafness.  He is a diamond in the rough, trust me on that one! :-)

Please check back in a week or so and let me know how things are going?   I will be thinking of you and your baby and hoping and praying things go smoothly!

sincerely,
jacquie rodgers