Dearf???How would I know?

[AmyJean]

Kinda new to the ferret thing. How would I know if one is deaf??

[dragynflye]

some are really good at hiding it!  sometimes you're convinced they are responding to noise, when they are really following other clues, and sometimes you are convinced they are deaf when they are really just ignoring you!  i wasn't 100% sure wolfwood was deaf until i turned on the vacuum while every one was involved in a mass wrestling match.  the others all bolted, leaving wolfie standing in the middle of the room looking around very confused.....  even now, he thinks the vacuum is a fun toy to chase, while the others all run and hide!

[weloveratties]

OMG! Voodoo Vince does the same thing! He is the only one that I fear might get his nose sucked up the vacuum, because he runs to it to investigate! LOL I found out Voodoo is deaf, because he has blaze markings, sometimes sleeps with his nose pushed up like a pig, and arcs his back when we hold him (with his nose and tail making an upside down U shape). I always wondered why everyone else HATED the vacuum, and he could care less. It also solved the mystery as to why he is the only ferret we have ever had that doesn't answer to a squeaker toy. A breeder and owner of a shelter informed me that he is deaf after seeing some pictures and asking questions about him. He's an awesome ferret, and it is not a problem at all. He manages to cause more mayhem and destruction than anyone else. I lost a bottle of Ferreton ( a BIG bottle) a few weks ago. I tend to misplace things, so I thought for sure it would turn up in the refrigerator or somewhere else bizarre. He drug it under my daughter's bed and hid it in one of his hidey holes! I found it today. Little weasel...

[nakedrats]

Our shelter director tests for deafness with this really loud noisemaker 4th of July/New years parade style.  It has plastic panels and a swinging knocker in between and it's really loud.  Swing it behind their head and see if they jump out of their skin.  If you use a whistle, do it across the room or they will look up because of the air moving.  Just make sure there isn't an air current or vibration that they're picking up and responding to.

[Dazydaizee]

I tried loud noises and things, but could never determine if my deaf guy, Lockie, was responding to sight, vibration, or sound. After having him for a while with three ferrets who can hear, I noticed he never really moves his ears in response to noise, he often won't come out when I come into the room, while the others all hear me and come out to see me. He also doesn't run when he hears the vacuum and the others all do. He doesn't respond to a squeaker and all the others do.
He's also very stupid, and I don't mean it in a bad way, and I'm not sure all deaf ferrets are like this, but he seems to have something missing. He's a strange ferret. He'll eat any kind of human food or treat he encounters, he has no real predatory mode when he sees my other pets, he's always rolling over or hanging upside down when you hold him, he's just VERY relaxed and seems much slower mentally than the other ferrets. He's such a sweet guy, we love him, but he is definitely off. I met someone else who had a deaf ferret that they described in the same way, but again, I don't know if this is common with deaf ferrets or not.