Blaze Ferrets

Question
I own 2 ferrets.  One is a sable and 1 is what I believe is a blaze ferret.  I was wondering how can I be sure this the other one is a blaze ferret? Also I heard that most of them are deaf, but she comes when I whistle, and when I clap my hands or shake my keys, or even squeeze one of her sqeaky toys, is this just vibration that she comes or what? And finally I read that blaze ferrets were pretty well sought after, I got mine from a pet store for no more than what the other ones cost, I just pick her out of the bunch because of the stripe down her head.  I'm interested in getting another one though, and I was wondering if the pet store didn't know what they had...how rare are they and do they usually cost more than the other types?

Thank you,
Andrea  

Answer
Hello Andrea,
thanks for your question. If you have a blaze ferret, or some "Panda" marked ferrets (Darker patches under eyes), it could deaf due to something called Waardenburg Syndrome. Since this is genetic,aprox 95% of blaze ferrets are deaf. It is similar to all white Dalmatians being deaf. It is simply akin to a birth defect.
I had a deaf Blaze ferret who had Waardenburg Syndrome.
But it sounds like your female is not deaf. The easiest way to tell is to wait until she is asleep in her hammock, and then go up to the cage and squeak a toy. Don't move or bump the cage. If she wakes by simply hearing the sound, then she is fine.
As far as the blazes being more rare, they really are not. They are not quite as common as the sables, but they are not that difficult to find. The more "rare" ferret colors are usually champagne, and dark eyed whites, and a true silver-mitt. But you can even find those in pet stores for the same price. The ferrets will not be priced differently due to color any more than say hamsters or rats would be. You just get lucky sometimes to find a different color than the norm.
thanks again for your question.
amy