I am about to pass on offspring of my imported Holland Lops to fellow enthusiasts. They will of course come together with pedigrees and it wouldn’t be quite complete in my standards to pass on a pedigree without a form of identification to state that the rabbit is indeed what the pedigree states.
In order to have a form of identification, I would like to consider tattooing my rabbits as mentioned in the previous post. The most conventional way of tatooing is using the clamp version and this method is well known among breeders in US to cause rabbits to break their legs or worst, backs. It is a very risky procedure.
Than I came across this tattoo tool called RabitTatt by Glenna Hendrix. It seemed to be a great tattoo kit to have but I would need to lay down the facts and get my priorities right.
Let’s go back to the basic by asking the question, why breeders tattoo their rabbits?
Tattooing a rabbit is part of the Show requirements. Each registered rabbit must be legibly identified and tattoo is known to be the most commonly used.
Then, what is the significance for me to tattoo?
Personally I would love to track my rabbits and if they are being used as breeding stocks, at least I can trace the lineage back since the rabbits will always come with a pedigree. But we do not have shows to begin with and there is always a possibility that my rabbits may be cross bred with a different breed (Lord, I hope this never happens), would it be in vain if I tattoo them?
Most breeders in US rather not tattoo their rabbits for the same reason that there is a possibility that the rabbits may be injured in the process. But if you are dealing with exportation, a form of identification has got to be in place. Since I have no intention to export at the moment, I may not need to go through that process.
So my question to myself and you fellow readers is, if IDENTIFICATION that important?
Because the only reason for tattoo is for identification, Identification and IDENTIFICATION.
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 
I will always have my rabbits tattooed. Well, maybe not a DQ marked baby that I know will be a pet and not used for breeding-I’ll spare them the pain of it. But all showable bunnies, Yes. Mostly because of identification so I can keep paperwork on them. I know Amber R. tattoos all of her bunnies so that when a buyer purchases a rabbit from another breeder with her rabbitry name on its pedigree she can verify that information by the tattoo number, here’s the site on that: http://www.lonestarrabbitry.com/Imitations.htm 🙂
Thanks for the info Lindsey! I really want to practice tattooing all my rabbits.
Hi Tim,
I try to tattoo all of my stock, but some pets/breeding animals however never get one.
The way to tattoo them is not to restrict them. I know several breeders who put them in a box, a wrap, or any other thing to calm or keep them still. The problem with this method is not knowing that the rabbits legs are so powerful, that if the do kick, it increases the risk of injury, in most cases, a broken back.
It’s nice to have a rabbit tattooed, I know that if I’m watching several rabbits on the judging table and I over hear a familiar tattoo number, I ask the owner where it came from, how its done, etc.
Good luck!
Susie 🙂
I forgot to add when I tattoo my animals, I usually do on my lap. If they have a fit, just follow them. I use both clamp/pen, I prefer the pen. When I use a pen I usually cross my legs and tattoo from their, just to keep them in place, but can get away(are not restricted). Its the best way I have found to work. Keeps them pretty calm.
Susie
Thanks a lot for the tips Susie. I believe you get a lot of scratches from those that goes into a fit. I would like to give the pen a try. Maybe I’ll order one end of this month. I have seen the videos of a youth tattooing her rabbits on YouTube and it did look all that difficult. I guess the rabbit has got used to it and she’s is skillful with her pen.