H&H: Volume 8

Highlights from Our Homestead Journey

Oh… my. Tattooing the bunnies was definitely an experience to remember. I learned so many things I’ll continue doing, and just as many things I won’t be repeating next time. Hopefully, my experience will either help you gain the confidence to try it yourself or at least provide a laugh at my missteps.

On Saturday, January 11th, I tattooed our seven grow-outs by myself. Let me start by saying it’s definitely manageable solo, even with zero prior experience. I had never tattooed anything before—didn’t practice on an orange or even experiment with the tattoo pen beforehand.

Of course, I have to shout out Teal Stone Homestead again. I watched several of her tattooing livestreams to get a good grasp on the process. I highly recommend checking out her videos if you’re planning to tattoo bunnies—it will give you much more confidence.

What supplies are needed?

• A tattoo machine/pen with a needle
• Tattoo ink
• Tattoo ink well or container for the ink
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton balls (way more than you think)
• Bunny tattoo wraps (one smaller than the other)
• Numbing spray
• Vaseline
• Gloves
• A cup of coffee or tea (trust me, you’ll be there for a while, especially the first time)

How tattooing works:

First, I evaluate and weigh the bunny to get that out of the way before he or she potentially gets irritated by the tattoo process. Then, I carefully wrap the bunny in the smaller tattoo wrap, ensuring their face is covered and they’re snug and secure. After that, I add the larger wrap for extra support.

I spray their left ear with numbing spray and gently rub it in while I check that I have enough ink and that my tattoo pen is clean and ready to go. After giving the bunny a few minutes to calm down and allowing the numbing spray to take effect, I disinfect the ear with a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol.

Once everything is ready, I turn on the tattoo pen, dip the needle in ink, and begin tattooing their left ear. The rabbits are usually calm at the start of the process but can get a bit jumpy or more sensitive as I near the end of the tattoo.

After finishing the tattoo, I use an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to clean as much ink as possible from the skin. I evaluate the tattoo to see if any areas need touching up before applying a layer of Vaseline to protect the area. Then, it’s on to the next bunny!

Why did I tattoo the bunnies?

To show your rabbits, they must be tattooed. The tattoo can include any combination of letters and numbers, but symbols aren’t allowed. The tattoo needs to be in their left ear, the right ear is reserved for registration by ARBA.

It’s also a great practice for record-keeping and tracking growth rates. Tattooing allows us to identify each rabbit individually, and any rabbit we breed and sell will have a tattoo linking it back to our rabbitry. This helps ensure accurate records and a clear connection to their origins.

We decided to use “HH” for Herd & Homestead as our prefix, followed by a three-digit number starting with 001. So, HH001 became the first ID in our rabbit identification system.

How did tattooing go overall?

Overall, I did it! So, I’d call it a success. The later bunnies I tattooed definitely have cleaner, more presentable tattoos that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to show or sell.

Here’s my best tip: go slow and make sure the numbing spray has taken full effect before starting. I noticed that giving the spray a bit more time to work helped keep the bunnies calmer and less jumpy during the process. You’ll also get better with practice.

Another tip: keep your tattoo pen as upright as possible. I tend to lean when I write, which caused ink to pool and blur the lines I was trying to create. When I consciously kept the pen upright, I had far fewer issues with ink running.

What did not go well or what would I change?

1. Having the Bunnies Together in a Playpen

• Do NOT— I repeat, do NOT—have all your bunnies hanging out together in a playpen while you tattoo. I thought it would make things quicker by not having to constantly grab or return the bunnies, but the amount of pee I had to clean up was absolute madness.
• Every time I cleaned up one mess, another appeared, and I had to stop tattooing to prevent the bunnies from running through it. Next time, I’ll keep each of them more contained, like in a transport cage, or just work with one at a time.

2. Using Tattoo Ink

• Using tattoo ink was another mistake. It’s incredibly messy, doesn’t wash off easily, and if it bleeds while you’re tattooing, it makes it nearly impossible to see your lines and go over them properly. My poor HH007 went first, and his tattoo is messier than I would have liked.

Next time, I plan to use a mixture of vodka and activated charcoal as my ink. It’s less likely to cause allergic reactions, works just as effectively, and—best of all—washes away completely with water or rubbing alcohol. No more stains or smears everywhere!

Final Thoughts

Tattooing rabbits was definitely a learning experience, but I’m glad I tried it and now know how to improve for the future. Hopefully, my lessons will help make your first attempt a little smoother!

Avian influenza has impacted one of the most popular hatcheries in the United States—Metzer Farms—serving small homesteaders and farms nationwide. The outbreak led to the loss of over 13,000 birds and the destruction of 90,000 eggs.

Metzer Farms is taking every precaution to prevent further spread of the disease, implementing strict biosecurity measures as they work to rebuild their flocks.