Tatooing Giant breeds

[clarzoo]

These checkered are my first experience with any giant breed. I know there are a few Flemish people on here. At what age do you guys tatoo? I don't want to wait till they are too mature, but I am afraid the tatoo will become hard to read if I do it too soon and the babies grow a lot.

Thanks!

 

[bluebird]

We used too raise new zealands and i always tattoed by ten weeks.there ears get soo thick its just harder too tattoo them later.bluebird

 

[gentle giants]

Ear growth shoudn't affect the tatto, at least I've never had it happen to mine. I tatto no later than eight weeks,six weeks if I can. Flemish ears get thick fast, though, Checkered Giants might not, I don't know much about them. They aren't very common around here for some reason.

 

[clarzoo]

Thanks, guys! Their ears still feel fairly thin, even though I know they will get a lot thicker.

The older litter is around 12 weeks, and the younger litter is not quite 6. I will try to get them all tatooed this weekend to avoid making it harder on them (and me!) later.

 

[clarzoo]

Just wanted to let you all know your advice was very helpful.

I tatooed both litters- the 12ish and the 6ish week olds. The tatooing went fairly easy overall, but I am glad I didn't wait any longer on the older guys. All the tatoos went through, so they should be nice and permanent.

THANKS! :elephant:

 

[flemishr2cool]

I tattoo when I wean at about 10-12 weeks, I like to do them at 8-12 weeks, after that they grow considerably thicker, I find the younger I do it the better the tattoo stays in the ear,

WARNING GRAFFIC:







this sounds rather harsh but if using a clamp puncture hard enough so you have to peel the ear from the tattoo digits, At a younger age the ear cartilage is softer so its not as painful, its like getting your ear pieced on the lobe, its soft tissue. Now if you wait until the rabbit is older and the cartilage is tough it will be more painful and heal slower. And if you don't puncture hard enough so that the tattoo stays you will have to tattoo again, so its a double ouch for the rabbit. Also when you do it at a younger age you can restrain your giants better.

 

[clarzoo]

I've tatooed many rabbits ears, just not the big ones. All tatoos went perfectly- peeled the ear off and now the tatoos are nice, dark and legible. I've never had a problem with my tatoos staying if I get the clamp all the way through. I agree, it's way easier on them to do it right once when they are young,rather thanto have to redo it when their tissues are mature.

 

[gentle giants]

Yeah, I had that problem doing my first litter or two, I cringed to bad when I squeezed the clamp together and my tattos were barely readable. I've also found I like doing white ears-they show up even from the outside of the ear, once healed properly! Here's a question-do you guys put anything on the tattoos,like vaseline or neosporin to help heal? I used to, but it seems like my tattos show up better when I don't.

 

[clarzoo]

I don't use anything when I tatoo, except good quality ink. If I have to retouch an older rabbit I've bought with a poor ear tatoo- I will use alcohol to clean the ear wax off of the ear,as that can cause the ink not to hold.

I've heard of people using Preparation H, vaseline, etc.. But I find that nothing beats a tatoo that goes all the way through the ear- I will rub ink on the front and back of the ear.

 

[gentle giants]

I use alchohol on the ear first, partly to clean off ear wax and partly to help avoid any chance of infection. I do my best to make the pins go all the way through, and then I apply the ink on the inside, and if it goes through and gets on my fingers on the other side, then I know it's a good tattoo.