Tattooing Your Rabbits 

If you plan to show your rabbit, the rabbit needs a tattoo identifier on the inside of his/her ear. A tattoo also makes it easier for you to differentiate between rabbits in your rabbitry, particularly if you specialize in one breed. Most exhibitors tattoo their rabbits themselves because it's not too difficult to do.

 

There are many ways of tattooing your rabbits. I've used clamp-style tattooing for about 10 years and find it very easy, although I've come to prefer the electric or battery-operated tattooer. The cost of a clamp-style tattooer ranges between $20 and $60, depending on the brand. The electric or battery-operated tattooer ranges from $130 to $249, depending on the brand and whether it's electric or battery-operated. Because clamp-style equipment is less expensive, I'll cover how to tattoo your rabbit using that type of equipment in this article.

I've found that tattooing rabbits by myself is the easiest way to do it, but I suggest that you have a person present who's experienced with tattooing rabbits the first couple of times that you try it.

Developing a Numbering or Lettering System

The first thing that you need to do is to decide on a numbering/lettering system that you'd like to use when you tattoo. For each rabbit, we use the first letter of the sire's name, followed by the first letter of the dam's name, and then the number in which the rabbit was born in the litter. For example, a rabbit whose sire, Karl, was bred to Daisey, the dam, and who was the third kit in litter would have the tatoo KD3. Think through the system that you want to use: consider your breeds, the size of the ears of your rabbit, and what will work best in your record-keeping. Please keep in mind that most tattoo pliers will hold only five digits.

Equipment You'll Need

Now that you have your system of tattooing down, it's time to get your equipment ready. You'll need the following:

After you have all your supplies ready to go, put your numbers and letters place securely into the tattoo pliers. Test the tattoo on a piece of paper to make sure that the letters/numbers are in the correct position. By doing this, you can save yourself from making a mistake.

Getting Your Rabbit Ready

It's now time to get your rabbit out of the cage and place him/her on a sturdy, flat surface. I have a permanent grooming area in our rabbitry--a table with a carpet square glued on--which works nicely. Once your rabbit is in position, give him/her a quick look over for anything that should be taken care of first, such as long toenails that need to be clipped, ear mites, fur mites, etc.

Once your rabbit passes inspection, check your rabbit's ear for a good place to put the tattoo. Make sure that the area you pick for the tattoo doesn't have lots of blood vessels an is not in the fur area of the ear. It is a good idea to clean the ear surface with some rubbing alcohol to rid the ear of any surface dirt and germs before you tattoo. By the way, you're going to put the tattoo in the left ear. If you show your rabbits, the American Rabbit Breeders Association (A.R.B.A.), which sponsors most rabbit shows, requires a tattoo in a rabbit's left ear for identification purposes.

Creating the Tattoo

Once you know exactly where you want the tattoo to go, put a dab of ink directly on the interior of the ear with the Q-tip or whatever applicator you're using. This way, when you clamp the pliers, you can get a basic idea of how the tattoo is going to look. Now squeeze the pliers--with your numbers and letters in place--firmly against the ear area where you applied the ink. Hold the pliers closed for a second or two and then release. If you go all the way through the ear with the tattoo, that's okay. I actually prefer it if I do go all the way through because it helps create a lasting tattoo.

Make sure that the tattoo looks good. If it doesn't, don't apply any more ink at this point--it won't improve the appearance of the tattoo. Instead, put some styptic powder on the tattoo and retry your tattoo in a few days.

If all went well with the tattoo--and it should have--then rub more ink into the tattoo holes with the toothbrush. Don't rub too hard, or you can make the ear bleed more than usual. Make sure that you get the ink in there really good. I would rather use too much ink than not enough and have to redo the whole process.

Controlling Any Bleeding

Next, apply a dab of Preparation H to the tattoo area--both on the front and the back of ear--to help seal the holes. You're probably thinking, Isn't Preparation H for hemorrhoids? Why, yes it is, but it also reduces the size of blood vessels. If you use it after you tattoo your rabbit, the ink is less likely to be lost through bleeding. It'll also keep the ear from bleeding too much if you nicked a blood vessel. Preparation-H also has a soothing feel to it, which will be welcomed by your rabbit.

Wow, you're almost done. Now take a piece of tissue or a wet wipe and carefully wipe away the excess ink and Preparation H so that you can see the tattoo. If the ear starts to bleed a bit after you wipe, just sprinkle some styptic powder on the area and leave it alone.

Now that you're done, pour some rubbing alcohol in a container and let your tattoo equipment soak for a few minutes. This will help clean your equipment as well as disinfect it so that it's ready for the next time you tattoo.

Congratulations! You just did your first tattoo, and it looks great.

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