Tattoo pen or clamp for tattooing your rabbit?

Some must be asking why a rabbit need tattoo. Every pedigree rabbit shall be tattoo. This will serve as the identity of the rabbit and the ear number should also match the ear number stated in the pedigree. As for the ARBA show, all rabbit must be tattoo at their left ear. 

The next question is how do we tattoo a rabbit? Basically they are two general type of tattoo kit that we can use, clamp and tattoo pen. What is their difference? I have glanced through some of the discussion board and my own experience, below are some point that you may want to consider when choosing the right tattoo kit for your rabbit:-

1. Clamp tattoo kit is quick and easy as it needs only one time punch to make the tattoo but tattoo pen takes more time as the words need to be written on the ear by the needle. 
2. Clamp tattoo is more painful to the bunny but it’s in very short term (just like when you punch your earing hole). It needs to be used very carefully. From my experience, if clamp tattoo is not handled well, it may cause the rabbit to struggle and break it backbones, and die. However, this can be better prevented by using Restraint. Tattoo pen create much lesser pain but over the slightly longer time.  
3.  Clamp tattoo comes in various sizes. The dwarf, especially Netherland Dwarf, with tiny ear (eg. those with 1 ¾ inches) may only be able to use the smallest size clamp while one tattoo pen can use for all type of rabbit the size depends on your handwriting.  
4. One should be caution on pinching the nerves around the ear of the rabbit, especially Netherland Dwarf with tiny ear, when using a clamp as it may be harder to avoid the nerve due to the fixed sized of the wording. While using a pen, this problem can be avoid due to the flexibility on the writing. 
5. Clarity – If you ask the rabbit judge, some will tell you they like tattoo pen as long as the person has decent hand writing. As you are writing when using tattoo pen, the words will be clearer than a dotted line created using clamp tattoo kit.  
6. Some rabbitry (like mine), I do keep both whereby I will use the clamp tattoo kit to do the initial tattoo. And if there is any touch up required in future, I will use the tattoo pen to do the touch up. This is because double clamp on the ear will cause the words to be even blur and hard to read. A rabbit will be considered disqualified under the ARBA if the tattoo is not clear enough to read. 
7. Clamp is easier to use for beginner. Another way of suggestion may be to start with using a clamp tattoo kit. When you are better in tattooing, then switch to a tattoo pen. 
8. One of the best tattoo pen recommended by most of the breeder in US is Inkinator and EZ Tatt. 
9. When you choose the clamp tattoo kit, make sure you choose one with rubber on the opposing surface rather than an awful foam pad. This will make the tattoo much easier. 
10. For those who are left handed, a tattoo pen maybe harder to use compared to clamp as the tattoo pen is designed to fit those with right handed. However, some small adjustment can always be made to suit it if that is the preference. But this is all very personal. Some left handed person will still find tattoo pen is easier than clamp.Bottom of Form

Hope you will find the above comments useful if you are currently choosing which to use.

B Berry Rabbitry

www.bberryrabbitry.com

~With love we breed~

All the above are only meant for information sharing and shall not bear any liability.

Pets Therapy

Just come back from Bali trip. During my Bali trip, something come to my attraction unexpectedly. I was happily finished my spa treatment and was reading some magazine. To my surprise, i found this article on pets therapy!! Its quite a long article. I only manage to pickup some point from the magazine before i left the shop. I would think this is really great to be shared to everybody. I personally think this article is very true. :)

As a summary of the article, it mention how animal will be able to touch human's heart (especially children and old folks) with the sincerity, their loyalty and their gentle. Animal will never lie. It always be as truth as what they have in mind. Animal that has listed as the best world pet include dogs, cats, RABBITS and dolphins.


From the article:
"Animals, especially small one, have shown promises for many conditions, both social and physical as below (the list is not exhaustive):-
- Pets helps Alzheimer's patient by bringing them back to the present. Especially trained pets can help alert others that an alzheimer patient has wandered into harm's ways. Pets can provide a measure of safety to people with the disease - by Thomas Kirk, a vice president of Chapter of the Alzheimer Association.
- Children who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are able to focus on pet, which helps them to learn to concentrate.
- Mentally ills patients, or those with emotional problems, share a common bond when a pets enters the room. Instead of reacting negatively to one another, it boost morale and foster a positive environment.
- Pets are an antidote to depression. Life in a care facility can be boring. A visit from the therapy pets breaks the daily routine and stimulates interest in the world outside.
- Pets provide social interaction. In a health care facility, people come out of their rooms to socialize with the animals and with each other.
- Everyone has the need to touch. Many humans are uncomfortable hugging or touching strangers, even those close to them. Some people are alone and have no hands to hold, no bodies to hug. But rubbing a fur of a beloved pets can provide a stimulation that is sorely lacking. The non-verbal connection is invaluable in the healing process.
- Pets are a source of expectation, hope and communication. Looking forward for a social call or getting home after time away gives that spark of anticipation all human needs to help feel alive. Pets can help start a conversation, and helps one who is struggling against unusual difficulties in learning to speak for the first time or after a speech impairment such as stroke.

With all the above goodies of having pets, if you have yet to have a pets, do consider to have one and lets feel the joys our beloved pets can give us. I personally feel this works. Even thought i am a hobby breeder for Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop, Lion head and Jersey Wooly, I do have certain of them are specifically my pets who i speak to when i need to express myself, who i turn to when i need a touch of healing and the one i wish to hugs when happiness.

Wish everyone can also share this joy to each other :)

B Berry Rabbitry
www.bberryrabbitry.com

Layla

Layla - the blue doe.

Can you see how superb she is? she is just gorgeous, isn't she? She is now a mother for 3 kids on her first kindle. All are alive healthily (at his first kindle)! I can still remember the day i check her first kindle and was so surprise when i see no dead baby, all alive in big size! OMGoodness, she is jus superb.

She is also a very very good mother that take cares of her kids well enough that all 3 were well fed and  well covered with furs. If she is human, she will be those kind of chaperone. Every single move of the kids, she cares. She won't let her kids to wonder around those area that she poo or pee, or walks out of the floor maps area. When we check on her babies, she just look so curious and worry that she will running around and even try to jump into the nest box that we are checking.

She is now pregnant again and having her second kindle. Hopefully its got to be the same!

Layla is also coming from a GC family whereby her granddam is a registered GC in US! Despite aving all the nice characteristic, she also have a very nice body with short legs, wide hind and the bubbly flat face! Someone told me she looks like the fairy tale rabbit.

MINT - BUD

One of our Big Ugly Doe (BUD), Mint. BUD is meant for breeding purpose. There are 3 quality of ND, show, pets and breed. BUD is the one good for breeding. She might not look as good (thats where the words ugly come from), with longer ear, bigger body, bigger hind. But you will definately be surprise with the quality of the baby that she will produce. A good one i would say! It helps to reduce the death rate (in view that ND is not easy to breed)! Its always not easy to find a good BUD that gives the quality baby which Mint did!

Despite the ugliness above,  i still enjoy watching her face. She actually had a 'sissy' face whereby you will know by first glance that she is a female. Her eyes always looking at me as if she is so pity, especially when her food bowl and hay tray is totally EMPTY!. haha..

Speedy

Thanks our US breeder for such a nice doe, Speedy. Speedy is one of the doe with very cute face, nice fur and body. You can see the crown and the short ears she has, one word, amazing! This is one of my favourite ears among all, thick, short and round! Yummy! She is also one of them that never bite my hand and the only one let us touch (sayang) his head. I enjoy touching her all over her body with her smooth and thick fur!

She is also one of the doe that can melt your heart easily just by looking at how nice and 'manja' she is.

She comes from a GC family with his sire and grandsire are GCs.

Minuet - the orange buck

Minuet, our orange buck that imported from US for our orange line breeding. He was still baby when we purchase him. He has the very similar characteristic as Venice except that he is more gentle than her! Nice fur and innocent looking makes him always look cute when he is young. Now he is getting mature with the head growing more and more massive. But unfortunately he is molting currently and thus unable to take nice pic of his. Will do after his molting, when he turn HANDSOME again!