If you look at the tattoo set, you will see that each number and letter is made up of a bunch of small needles that form the single digit letter. When the tattoo pliers are closed on the rabbits' ear they make a series of small holes. Tattoo ink is then rubbed into the area. The tattoo ink that goes into the holes becomes permanent, while the ink on the ear surface wears off. You may be wondering if tattooing is painful for the rabbit. The answer is yes, but only for a very short time. Kind of like us humans getting or ears pierced.
Tattooing provides a permanent method to tell one rabbit from another. Tattoos are required for showing, but it is equally important for good record-keeping, and should be a regular part of your rabbitry management program. If you have a small breeding program, it may be impractical to spend money for tattooing supplies especially if your just starting out. Ask other breeders if they might be willing to tattoo your animals for you to begin with. Chances are that a 4-H leader or local club member will be willing to help you out.
Tattoos can be a number, a word, or a combination. Some breeders use short names like Jon or Pet, so that the tattoo names the animal as well as identifies it. Other systems tell more about each animal. For example, in one system, a letter stands for a certain buck, another letter stands for a certain doe, an odd number means that animal is a buck and an even number means it is a doe. So, if we had an animal with the tattoo "TB3", we would know just by looking at the tattoo that it was a buck whose father is named Thumper and whose mother is named Bambi. You can develop a tattoo system that works best for you. Most tattoo sets are limited to five numbers or letters per tattoo, so be sure you take this into account.
