To say that the sable is very beautiful is to say nothing about its beauty. The animal has a silky coat that resembles swan down more than fur. Since ancient times sable fur has been considered royal, and pelts were valued at their weight in gold.
Today we are trying to change people's very attitude to the sable: not as a precious fur, but as a friend, a companion! The era of fashion for beautiful fur coats has passed, and more and more people keep rather unusual pets — and the sable holds a special place among them. He is affectionate, active and smart, but demands a lot of time and attention.
The animal has an elegant appearance: a slender body, long legs, a small tail, large ears and a pretty muzzle. All this makes the sable truly irresistible. In summer the coat is short, so the sable looks lean. But as soon as the first winter months come, the animal grows a coat of incredible beauty, and its curious little face begins to resemble a teddy bear.
It is not rare for sables to be kept at home. Compared with other animals of the mustelid family, their care and keeping differ significantly.
Unlike its relatives, the sable has no unpleasant smell from the anal glands. Besides, the animal is quite clean, clever and easy to tame, so it can become a fully domestic pet.
In my observation the sable is almost hypoallergenic: people allergic to cats and sometimes even to dogs show no reaction to the sable — even people allergic to almost everything may have no reaction to a sable!
People who have ever been in contact with domesticated sables know that these animals win you over with their character: they get attached very quickly and then demand maximum attention and love. If you want to talk on the phone, read a book or do your favourite thing, you definitely won't manage it alone — the sable will keep you company. Few people have managed not to fall in love with this cute and interesting animal at first sight.
However, only those sables become fully tame that were raised by a human at home almost from birth. Such animals readily come to your hands and can sleep on your lap. Sables express their mood by purring. They respond very well to affection, attention and care. Like any other pets (cats, dogs), sables respond to their name and can come running when called.
There are also known cases of keeping adult wild sables at home, which also brought good results. Animals taken home from the wild quickly got used to human company. Even among overly aggressive individuals there were those that from the first day began to take food from hands. After a while the animals started to sleep in the same bed with the owner and climbed onto his lap at every opportunity.
There are many cases when a sable became friends with a dog and a cat: they walked around the house together, ate from the same bowl and used a special box filled with river sand as a toilet.
A hunter shared some rather interesting information. A sable lived in his winter cabin and, just like a domestic cat, caught mice, tracking them in the same manner. Another animal that was lucky to live in a private house went out for walks: it left the house through an open window and returned the same way. (From my own experience there are plenty of cases when a sable lived free-range at a dacha and came to people only to eat and play; but in our conditions it is very dangerous, as the sable goes to the neighbours, where it may be fed and kept, or run over by a car, or even shot with an air gun — there are plenty of such cases.)
There is an opinion that a fully domestic and affectionate sable can be raised only if it was taken home at an early age, when it had just started to feed on its own — but this is not so. With proper handling and patience even an adult animal can be tamed. Young individuals are maximally active and have a great reserve of energy: it seems the animals are only a few months old, yet they race all over the house, chase each other, jump onto furniture and then leap to the floor like squirrels.
At two months of age sables become grip-prone. Their teeth are as sharp as needles. Permanent teeth replace milk teeth at about 5 months of age. Watching them play, one can compare them to both cats and dogs at the same time. They readily chase a toy tied to a string, try to catch it and take it away. At the same time, like puppies, they squeal, growl and try to fight each other. During play they acquire many instincts typical of hunters, and their muscles become much stronger.
In the wild the sable is a true nocturnal predator. At home the animals adjust to the household's schedule: during the day they are maximally active, and at night they sleep together with everyone (though I would advise putting the animal into a cage or another room for the night, as it may wake up at 6 a.m., climb under the blanket and not let you sleep). Individuals taken home at a young age get along perfectly with other pets — cats, dogs, ferrets.
Although the sable is a ground predator, it can sometimes climb trees. Quite often they occupy tree hollows and make nests there for their offspring. At home the animals can climb curtains and carpets (to reduce the damage, we advise everyone to trim their claws from an early age). Sables under two months of age are not sufficiently agile, so they should be carefully watched so that the baby does not fall and hurt itself.
As the animals grow up, they become more interesting in their habits and behaviour. Often they become too tame and can be annoying. Anyone who enters the room — whether the owner or a stranger — immediately causes genuine interest. The sable will not calm down until the new object is fully explored.
It is important to keep in mind that sables are rather hoarding animals. Even at home they try to hide pieces of food in secluded places, and often use the most unsuitable ones for this purpose. Thus a sable can unnoticed stash food in your shirt pocket or behind your collar. (We advise giving exactly as much food as the animal will eat: if anything is left over, it will definitely hide it!) It is interesting to watch the animal watching TV, from time to time trying to catch the moving images.
The distinctive feature of the animal is its intelligence and quick wit, which makes them perfectly trainable. It is enough to put a cat litter box and show it to the sable — and it will use it as a toilet.
If you plan to leave the sable alone at home for some time, it is recommended to lock it on the balcony or in a specially designated room. This is because during the owner's absence a major "clean-up" will be carried out in the house.
As a toy they can use absolutely any thing, and it does not have to be suitable for play. After the sable has played enough, it reliably hides its toy. It is recommended to immediately buy a spacious cage with a nest-like house: this is necessary so that an overly active sable can be closed in at any moment.
Young individuals have a fairly diverse set of sound signals. If the animal is hungry, the owner will definitely be notified by a sound that resembles both a squeak and an incomprehensible quacking. If the animal is displeased or aggressive, it begins to growl like a dog. If everything is fine, the little mischief-maker purrs.
Throughout the summer the individuals live amicably with each other, but as soon as September comes, constant fights and quarrels over food and space begin in the group. For this reason it is not recommended to keep several animals together. In autumn the sable becomes irritable. This period is accompanied by food hoarding, so food can be found in the most unusual places.
Compared with other animals of the mustelid family, the sable is a long-liver: at home the animal can live up to 20 years. There is a known case of one animal living 26 years. Reproductive abilities are preserved throughout life. Sexual maturity occurs (more often) in the fourth year of life. Females carry offspring for 9 months.
In the wild sables differ from each other not only in size but also in colour. As a rule, this depends on the animal's habitat. Today breeders have managed to produce sables of dark and solid colours. We, by crossing cage-bred with wild sables and selecting for sociability, are trying to breed a healthy, large animal with beautiful fur and a good psyche, so that the sable can make room for itself among other pets in people's homes!
The sable is a predatory animal that feeds on various rodents, flying squirrels, shrews, grouse, small birds, and sometimes insects. If there is nothing to eat at all, it hunts squirrels, rabbits or musk deer. At the same time, the sable also needs plant food.
Various taiga berries and pine nuts are also suitable. The animal likes to eat honey. Some animals occasionally approach hives with wild bees, stripping them completely for the honeycomb.
If someone tries to tame a sable, it can be lured with honey. At home, you can use a special mixture of porridge and ground meat. Grind rabbit or chicken meat with a meat grinder. It is important to use it raw; if you want to boil it, do it for no more than a couple of minutes. The compulsory stage is grinding. Bones should not be removed, but avoid tubular ones. The next stage is adding beef and offal (liver, heart). Proportion: 100 g minced meat + 20 g any porridge (buckwheat, rice).
When the mixture is ready, it can be supplemented with mashed carrots (5%) and apples. Place all the mixture you got in the freezer. When you decide to feed, defrost it.
Sables like the special mixture of porridge and ground meat, but also such treats as rodents or chickens. Animals will not refuse vegetables, cheese products, various fruits, eggs (chicken or quail), but the latter should not be given too much (once or twice a week is enough). Sables also like raw fish; it may be pre-cooked. If there is no fish, use fish oil (a couple of drops per portion is enough) once a day.
Yeast can be used as a food additive. In summer and autumn, animals like to "treat themselves" with different berries (blueberries, rowan, grapes). In autumn and winter, these animals need Korean cedar nuts or cedar wood; they eat both the nuts and the shells.
They love to eat honey and apples, and even dried fruits and dry bread, but do not give too many such treats. The feeding schedule is two times a day: morning and evening.
Young sables (from one month of age) eat up to 5 times a day in small doses, with a gradual reduction to 2 times a day by the age of 3 months (of course, there is no need if their mother feeds them with her milk). You can also use ready-made dry food (the class must be super-premium, with protein from 35%); this option is not suitable only for the youngest.