Amazing: Russian sable carries plush toy to the top of a bookcase

I am full of admiration for this Russian sable who decided to carry his plush toy to the top of a bookcase. The method was methodical and systematic.

Note: This is an embedded tweet. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Judging by the video, Russian sables can make decent pets for the right person and circumstance. I’m told that in Russia, Finland and other European countries domesticated sables are common in breeding farms and in zoos. They are bred to produce fur. An unpleasant activity if I may say so. It is very strange that they are abused in this way to make fur while at the same time they become pets in someone’s home. A schizophrenic relationship with the Russian sable I would argue but the reason for this is described below.

It might be possible to rescue one from a fur farm and keep him or her as a pet. I am not advocating either but if you do this you will at least be rescuing an animal from a highly abusive and cruel situation. There is no longer any need for fur farms anywhere in the world. Apparently, most domestic Russian sables have come from fur farms.

They are clearly intelligent and they look cute but they have sharp little teeth and they can deliver a painful bite. In some countries it is illegal to own one as a pet.

The sable is a species of marten. They are members of the weasel family. Members of this family can be quite dangerous sometimes and aggressive.

Sables respond to commands like dogs. They are protective of their territory just like cats. They remember their hiding spaces. They are a high-energy mammals and don’t stop running around and playing. For this reason, they will keep you busy. This can be a positive when you want to be entertained and a negative when you don’t want to be.

They have a knack for stealing things and hiding them. This is exactly what you see in the video! Russian sables have a diverse diet. They are carnivorous, eating smaller mammals like shrews, insects, fish, reptiles, crustaceans and birds. But as they are omnivores, they will eat fruits and berries.

In the wild they live in a range of habitats including dense forest. In the wild they will mainly forage for food on the ground but they will climb if they need to. It is said that they make reasonable if not good pets but of course it depends on the person. Personally, I would not entertain the idea and I think that you will find that all animal advocates including organisations such as the RSPCA and PETA recommend that you do not keep a Russian sable as a pet.

Their behaviour is not ideal because, as mentioned, they are high energy and they might seem to be too aggressive, stubborn and even vindictive. They look cute and cuddly but they are essentially wild animals. It is the same reason why I would not recommend keeping a wild cat species as a pet. You are living with a wild animal. Even if they are semi-domesticated you can never replicate the kind of relationship that you have with a true domestic cat or dog.

It is said that they wreak havoc because of their high energy. They can destroy property. You can forget about having a night, tidy and perfect house-proud home. And certainly, if you are not at home a lot or most of the time, they must be unsuitable.

Now for some pages on dog behavior: