One of the most important things to keep in mind about sableye is that they are nocturnal, cave-dwelling pokémon. While they can be trained to tolerate daylight, they generally don’t, and it’s easier and frankly more humane if their trainer accommodates them, rather than the other way around. Many trainers do this by constructing sableye homes (that is, manmade caves) in their backyards or by allowing their sableye to burrow, but even simply giving them a dark room with either no or covered windows will be sufficient. If choosing the latter option, be sure that the coverings you choose block the light completely, not partially. This room should also be stocked with bedding, food and water dishes, and a litter box. It’s not necessary to line the litter box, as sableye droppings are merely gravel unless you give your sableye a diet of kibble.

What people say about sableye eating rocks is both true and false. It’s true in the sense that, yes, they do subsist largely on stone material. It’s false in that it’s not true that the stones have to be gems. Really, any kind of rock will do; it’s just that sableye prefer precious stones for their taste and the fact that they incorporate them into their bodies. However, if you have a fully grown sableye, it won’t require as many gems to decorate its skin, so you can easily pacify them with any sort of rock you find outside. Of course, as with all pokémon, you may also feed your sableye specialized kibble (especially if you have other pokémon or if rocks aren’t readily available to you), but trainers who live in more rural areas generally find feeding sableye stones is much more preferable to cleaning up the mess produced by kibble.

As for toys, sableye are impish, childlike pokémon, so toys that appeal more to humanoids are ideal. In particular, sableye like shiny toys and toys that make sounds—the former because shiny objects remind them of gems, and the latter because noisemaking toys appeal to their sensitive hearing. Some sableye also like dolls, including pokémon dolls, or anything that’s otherwise soft and easy to grasp and claw. (They do not, contrary to popular belief, use scratching posts.)

When it comes to hygiene, sableye, like other humanoid or imp-like pokémon, are fine with baths. Some trainers even find that they’re surprisingly easy to coax into baths, likely because water helps them wash dirt off their gemstones, and said gemstones are also polished in the process.

Finally, when it comes to socialization, generally speaking, sableye are actually shy pokémon who prefer to hide away in a quiet space (regardless of what their reputation as fearsome pokémon may lead you to believe). This isn’t to say it’s impossible to acclimate one to a team; it’s just a warning that it may take time and patience and that it may be best to introduce your sableye to like-minded pokémon first. However, it should also be noted that because of sableye’s diet, one should never keep a sableye on the same team as carbink unless that sableye is thoroughly trained.

Best of luck, reader!