American Sable Rabbit
Appearance and coat description
The American Sable is a medium to large rabbit with a rounded body, very distinct colouring, and ruby red glow in its dark eyes. The medium size head is well-shaped, with erect ears. The topline of the back forms a smooth continuous curve from the base of the neck to the tail. The coat is very soft, fine, and dense. It comes in the Sable pattern, which includes rich sepia brown on the body with darker sepia brown on the ears, face, back, legs, and upper side of the tail. American Sables tend to shed in patches, and shedding usually takes a long time. Therefore, they may need more grooming than other breeds. Regular brushing with a slicker brush should be fine.
American Sables weigh 7 to 10 pounds. Males (bucks) tend to be somewhat smaller.
American Sables weigh 7 to 10 pounds. Males (bucks) tend to be somewhat smaller.
Temperament
Generally, American Sables are quite friendly and docile. They enjoy companionship of other rabbits and thrive on human attention. Many individuals spend most of the day sleeping. The Sable usually makes an amazing pet and is quite easy to handle. When distressed, the American Sable will make a grunting noise or will thump its back foot on the ground in an attempt to scare the thing that is disturbing it.
Health and hutch
Like almost all rabbits, the American Sable can suffer from respiratory infections, sore hocks, dental problems, and a number of other diseases. The hutch should be large enough to allow 1 square foot of space per 1 pound of the rabbit's weight. For example, a 9 pound rabbit will feel quite comfortable in a hutch sized 3x3 feet.
Other interesting facts
The American Sable is a result of Chinchilla rabbit crosses. Sables are identical to Chinchilla rabbits in body conformation, but their coats are coloured differently resembling the colourpoint pattern of the Siamese cat. According to the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) report in 2005, there are 500 to 800 American Sables in the United States.
