Wardy Puzzie?

[Deleted]

So my white ferret Appa 💛 Is surely deaf. I got him with his brother Kratos from a lady. I shortly learned after being on here that he is deaf. Never comes like the others when I get home or when they hear the door open and close, the vacuum is on etc. no reaction. I even got a squeaky toy and all my fuzzies come except Appa.

So my question is he a wardy though? He never makes noises though he does play and everything normally. He snuggles with me from time to time but never gives kisses or licks like the others. He makes a slight breathing noise when playing ruff with the others but other than that he's quiet. He bounces about and follows me when he sees me and everything. I can't post photos due to being mobile but I have a photo of him in my signature as well as on our Instagram for my puzzies, that's linked below, there's many there. He's the only white ferret of course.


Instagram link

[LindaM]

Looking at Appa's picture down in your signature, I'd say yes to the deafness, unsure about the Waardie. He's not a white ferret (albino/DEW), he is a Blaze though, and they're usually deaf. That white stripe on the head tends to be a key indicator for it.
holisticferretforum.com/about-ferrets/ferret-colors-and-patterns/

If we could see a full photo it would be easier to tell if he's a Waardie though, since we can see if he has more of the markers or not. Sherry or Heather could tell you if he's a Waardie by checking his skull and everything too, I'm a wee bit unsure on that level myself. Your Instagram shows up as private, so can't see a photo.

Some deafies are very loud, and others are very quiet, some will have mixed up vocal cues and others will have no issues with theirs. As for kissing or not, not all ferrets like to do that, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with deafie or Waardie.

Something to keep in mind, not all deafies are Waardies, and not all Waardies are deaf though. I have a Waadrie.. and while mine is either partially deaf and prone to not give a rat's butt about most things, or either stone deaf, there are plenty other things that point him out as being very different than my other kids. He is decidedly different when you look at him compared to my others.. he learns differently, he behaves different from them, he simply sees the world differently. He's a special boy, but that's honestly about it.

[abbeytheferret6]

He is a blaze for sure. I have a blaze too and is deaf. I have never heard of anyone having a blaze that could hear-- but could be possible. That little white badger stripe on the head is a telltale sign a blaze. My blaze looks like she has black eyeliner on  eyes. Would have never noticed it until someone pointed it out.
 www.ferret.org/events/colors/blaze.html

[Deleted]

🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ sorry guys the Instagram isn't private anymore. I fixed the setting. That's what I figured. I didn't think he had to be but just to see 🤷🏼‍♀️ he does have a bit of wide set eyes but idk if it's just me or maybe cause he's white on his head so it may appear wider. I've read a bunch of the forums but I'm still unsure.

[Sherry]

I had a WS dew, and a non WS dew. However they both (and your lad if he was born dew) DOES have neural crest disorder. That is what caused the type of coat they have (sable with one very large white spot), which is interconnected with their deafness.

[Deleted]

I have no idea if he was born as such due to getting him from a lady whom didn't even know he was deaf! And she got him from a guy.

🤦🏼‍♀️ So you saw his photos? He's is a wardy then?

[Aftershock]

.... here's the thing, it's really called Neural Crest Disorder, we term it Waardenburg Syndrome because it's symptoms and such are very similar. Many use the term Waardy when talking about all that deals with Neural Crest Disorder with ferrets, others only term those that have a form of mental retardation Waardy and all ferrets with specific coat colors/patterns as Neural Crest Disorder.
Example, both my DEW and my sable blaze have Neural Crest Disorder, but I would only consider my DEW as a Waardy.
You can also get Waardies who can hear and non Waardies who are deaf❤

[Thérèse]

OK will preface this by saying that I have never had a wardy ferret that they seem rarer over here because the breeding for fancy colours isn't so prevalent yet ( hopefully it will remain that way), so this is from hearsay only.

My understanding is that waardenburg syndrome is a spectrum syndrome. That each case can appear anywhere along a broad spectrum and this means that not all symptoms will be present and not even to the same degree for a case at the minor end of the spectrum compared with a case thast is at the more extreme end of the spectrum. Based on this, Aftershock I would consider both your ferrets are probably wardies but the DEW is further toward the extreme end of the spectrum than the blaze.

I may have a misunderstanding of the whole thing though.

[Aftershock]

Thérèse Neural Crest Disorder is almost a given to some degree with mill ferrets here in the US. The consequences of mass breeding for fancy colors our mill ferrets definitely are not as intelligent, or as physically apt as breeder fuzz.
That being said, I've always seen Waardenburg and Neural Crest as different things. Neural Crest is the cause (skull deformation in the womb), and Waardenburg is the possible result.
Honestly, my blaze girl is smarter than my sable. My DEW has been a battle in trying to work around his conditions with training. Things generally have to be a certain way or even litter box habits go out of the window.
Many people see this topic differently, I personally choose to see Neural Crest and Waardenburg as two separate things. To me Neural Crest would be the equivalent of the flu virus, and Waardenburg would be the muscle aches that come with it.

[Thérèse]

OK, just seems we have a phrasing difference...you say either and I say either (which doesn't work when typed but you get the gist, right?)

[Heather]

You're both saying the same thing The words are often used interchangeably and sometimes I don't even bother to double check to make sure I'm using the correct term.
In ferrets Badger stripes, blazes, panda markings carry certain congenital defects, which "share" similarities to the symptoms seen in humans suffering with Waardenburg's syndrome. This syndrome not only causes these colours but also causes cranial deformations (Boris' was so bad he couldn't shut his mouth properly, and if you scruffed him it would cut off the passage of air and he would fade into unconsciousness). This deformation broadens and flattens the skull which usually leads to partial or total deafness. These cranial deformations also lead to a higher incidence of stillborn kits
ciao

[Aftershock]

>.> I have had people totally full out fight with me that all with Neural Crest were extreme Waardies, so it's a bit of a 'sore' subject with me on wording. x.x
I've gotten to the point that it's personal preference, but I do like to explain why I see them differently.

[Deleted]

hmm i see the points. well i honestly don't think he is "wardy" and surely did i think so due to him being deaf i just know that he is. I was just curious on others opinions.

[unclejoe]

I've had a few deafies, ." They were DEW females, 1 of which started out as a panda. Only had 1 that had the visible blaze, and he was a "sandy" and not deaf. He WAS different, tho.

[katt]

A blaze or panda ferret IS a ferret with a neural crest disorder - it is not a given in mill ferrets, just far more common. a neural crest disorder is when a specific portion of the embryo - called the neural crest - fails to migrate properly. Waardernburg Syndrome is simply a specific type or subset of neural crest disorder, caused by specific genetic mutations.

A ferret with a blaze has a neural crest defect - the melanin (pigment) cells, which are derived from the neural crest, did not migrate properly.

If the cells that form the structures of the inner ear fail to migrate, deafness can occur. Deafness can occur via other causes too though, so a deaf ferret is not always due to neural crest.

Blaze = neural crest defect
Deafness = often (but not always) neural crest defect
Blaze + deafness = characteristic of Waardenburg Syndrome

Waardenburg syndrome (and any neural crest defect) does run on a spectrum depending on how poorly the cells migrated, and WHICH cells failed to migrate - this can lead to quite a range of the severity of defects.

Mental retardation is pretty complicated in its potential relation to neural crest defects, but what we call "waardenburg syndrome" in ferrets is occasionally, but NOT always, associated with cognitive or social/behavioral changes.