Here we explain how to keep a sable at home: in an apartment, in a house or in an outdoor aviary.
DO NOT FALL FOR THE FAIRY TALES THAT YOU SHOULD BUY 30-DAY-OLD PUPS! TAKE THEM ONLY FROM 45 DAYS OF AGE — ONLY THIS WAY WILL YOU RAISE A HEALTHY AND SOCIABLE ANIMAL!
If you plan to keep a wild animal indoors — a sable, a mink or a ferret — do not expect it to love you right away. The key point is: do not expect everything from the animal at once, especially in the beginning. Just keep calm and be patient — and after a while all your efforts will be rewarded.
At first the best option is to place the sable in a spacious cage with all the necessary accessories: a house, a litter tray and a water bowl.
The nest-house should bedding have for example hay or old clothes. This way the animal can hide when it is tired of attention — in other words, it guarantees its safety. If the cage is not very large, place the house outside rather than inside — this saves space for walking (minimum house size 15x15 cm, maximum 25x25 cm).
Sables love hammocks but often damage them, so it is easier to make a hammock from an unnecessary piece of cloth by making four holes in it and hanging it on carabiners.
Do not be surprised that at first the animal will relieve itself without leaving the nest (it is not yet fully used to you and is wary). After a while it will choose a toilet spot — usually a corner of the cage. Place the litter tray exactly there — first use a special filler (wooden is best), or no filler at all, as this creates less mess.
The optimal solution is to move all the sable's droppings into the tray at first — this shows it where the toilet is. So that your pet stops relieving itself in the nest as soon as possible, do not make the house territory too huge (but not cramped either). IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS THEY MAY MARK OR RUB AGAINST PROTRUDING OBJECTS — DO NOT BE SCARED! THIS WILL PASS SOON!
When feeding, strictly observe the schedule — never feed at random times, only in the morning and in the evening. If something is not eaten, clean the cage. In most cases the animals quickly get used to the new conditions and at the set time they already wait for their food.
After that, try to make the animal not afraid to eat in front of you. What to do? When feeding, sit silently near the sable's cage. No sudden movements, no noise. Repeat this several times — and the animal will quickly get used to you and will not pay attention to your presence.
The next stage is to make the animal eat directly from your hands. At first this is a little stressful, so start with feeding from a spoon (make sure it is wooden). This way you can give not only the standard food but also various treats — honey, nuts, meat — the main thing is not to overdo anything. After a while the animal will not be afraid of a hand reaching to it — it will itself run up for its favourite food. And this is the perfect moment for hand-feeding. At first it will simply snatch the treat and run away — be careful. After that you can let it out directly into the room. In the same way — through food or a treat — you can calmly guide the animal back into the cage.
Never intimidate the animal, never catch it by force. This will only stretch the upbringing process for a much longer time. The animal has excellent mental abilities and a great memory — if you take it against its resistance, next time it will simply try to escape. It may also start growling and showing negative emotions.
The sable is a fairly calm animal — if it growls, just do not touch it any more and everything will be fine.
If it starts nipping your hand, say "no" or "ouch" loudly. Do not hit or intimidate the sable. The most extreme case is to touch its nose with your finger and add "no".
Do not hold the animal in your arms when strangers are around — it is timid and may start breaking free. It may accidentally scratch you, bite you or even wet itself.
The main point: if the sable does not want to be held — always let it go.
Just do not perform actions that irritate it — so that it does not get angry. This way you can lose its trust and break all contact — especially if it is a female. At the same time the animal must clearly understand which actions are acceptable and which are not. Therefore calmly, without conflict, correct it with the command "no" or the simple word "ouch".
After that, when you get used to each other, do whatever you like — the animal will not be so offended. But first you need to endure the period of getting used to each other.
If you use such simple taming methods, your animal will understand that you are its friend. After that it will itself jump onto your lap to ask for a favourite treat. Mustelids are the smartest animals; they understand perfectly how they are treated. So a little patience and persistence — and the results will pleasantly surprise you. You should also understand that everyone in the family must communicate and interact with the animal! If someone ignores it, aggression may appear later!
We wish you success in upbringing... The main thing to remember is that we are responsible for those we have tamed!