# tattoo pens?!



## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

well. looking up rabbit tattoo kits i came upon these http://bunnyrabbit.com/price/tattoo.htm

A website for battery operated tattoo pens, could i use them on the goats and the rabbits? anyone tried these, they seem (WAY) easier than with the pliers, and i can't ever get a tattoo to stay, even with the baking soda and multiple tutorials and mentor help.

any thoughts?


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

*My sons each have a rabbitry as well as their goats. They enjoy the show circuit LOL. Needless to say I spend A LOT of time tattooing between rabbits and goats LOL. 
The tattoo pen is wayyyyyyyyyyyy better. You can use it on both the rabbits and the goats. They make a MUCH clearer tattoo and stay 10 times longer. I've had to retattoo ones done with pliers but have never had to reatattoo ones done with the pen. Also if you buy India Ink, instead of what comes standard with tattoo pliers and the pens, you'll find your tattoos will last 10 times as long. You can find the India Ink online or in the calligraphy aisle of your craft stores. Bunnyrabbit.com has it too if you buy your pen from them. That's one of my favorite sites to shop on for rabbit stuff.
I was giggling at you talking about tattooing yourself because next to the tattoo pens it says "not for human use" :ROFL: Apparently you aren't the only one who has had that idea LOL!*


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Interesting!

I dont know what it is about Boer ears, I can tattoo cattle, sheep, angora and dairy goats and 10 to 12 yrs later that tattoo is still clear as a bell. I can tattoo a boer goat and 2 yrs later you can only see one or two little green dots

:scratch: 

I feel your pain (and I feel the goats pain, literally cos I accidently tattooed myself not that long ago  )


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I had seen those a while ago but I wasn't sure about them. So do they actually last a really long time? Like a human tattoo? I have LaManchas so I have to tattoo tails and sometimes I don't get the letters in their tails all the way so I have to go back with a sewing needle and poke a hole there. A pen would be so much easier.

I think I'll stick with the experts if I want a tattoo, I can't hardly draw I'd probably end up with some weird looking smiley face on my arm :ROFL:


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

LOL. that's great sarah. 

well...i'm pretty interested to see how they write, i really want one now, i can never get the tat to stay, it dissapears in two weeks. and i really dont want them to hate me for tattooing them weekly. 

so i think i'll try it out..


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

So you just "write" the letters as a tattoo artist would do on a person??


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## Laurel_Haven (Oct 20, 2007)

I don't know if I could use the pen... :shrug: 

1- I would have to have a very steady hand and I get too nervous when doing anything hurtful to the goats.
2- how would I keep them still long enough to be able to write eligable letters and numbers.
3- I would think it would take much longer than just a quick pinch by the plier type tattooer.

So I don't know if they would be a real advantage over the plier type tattooer or not. But you could make some pretty neat tattoo's on your goaties though. LOL :shades:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

That sounds interesting, I will be tattooing for the first time when Binky delivers her kids in March...I'm nervous enough about hurting them let alone having to re-do it!


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

*Yes you just write the letter and numbers out freehand. It's very easy actually. It does take more time of course but it's well worth it. I do my rabbits at 4 weeks old and they just sit in my lap and let me tattoo all I want. It's LESS painful then the tattoo pliers and the tattoo stays 10 times as long which means no re-tattooing  I have 4 year olds whose tattoos look like they were just done but the ones done with the pliers need to be redone because you can barely see them. I like the pen MUCH better but that's just me. You can buy the EZ Tat or RabbiTat first and see if you like doing them that way. I think they're around $50.00. The electric ones get up into the 100's so you might wanna buy something cheaper first to make sure you like it. I know once I did my first pen tattoo there was no going back to the pliers!*


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Now do you think that the goats being in the dirt would get it wore off faster?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I showed this to my DH and even though he usually doesn't have much to do with my goats he was wondering if the kids would have a problem with the constant buzzing of the pen...especially being that close to the ear. Right now with my 2 black nigi's I can't even see their tat's one is 3 1/2 years old and the other is 1 1/2 years...if anyone decides to try this before the ed of March, please post about it as I don't want to make a purchase and not be able to use it....also, would this type of tattoo be allowable/recognized with the registries?


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

*All of my goats are registered with the ADGA and they've been done with the pen so I know they don't care how its done as long as it's done. My rabbits are all ARBA registered and have been done with it also. I know quite a few people who do their goats with the pen and they are all registered too. I live in the middle of the desert and have not had any problems with the dirt making them wear off any faster. My goats are never in a barn. I've never had a problem with the buzzing bothering them either. The pens are pretty quiet actually and if you're worried about the noise you can buy just a tattoo pen that isn't electric or battery powered. You just dip the needle in ink and start writing. *


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

my goats are wimps .. i tried it.. but it didn't work... good thig i practiced on a wether


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

How long does it take with the pen...I've never even done a tattoo so I was wondering the difference between the plier and pin hole method and the "writing" method.


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

It depends on how good you are at it LOL. With the pliers you just clamp and it's done but with the pen it depends on how long it takes you to write it out. It probably takes me a minute to a minute and a half on each ear. I'm picky about them though and try and get them as "perfect" as I can.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Looks like I'll be getting one of the battery operated pens, it comes with he black ink but since it's possible I'll be getting blac kids from Binky,I'll also need to get the green ink....do you think the white or yellow would work and not fade in a dark eared goatie?


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

I've never used anything other than green for the goats and black for my rabbits. I thought about using the white too but have been told by quite a few people that it doesn't quite work like we picture it would so I never tried it.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Cool, and Thank you! Hmmmm.....Guess once I get it I can practice on my un registered goaties to get the feel of it. So when the time comes for the registered ones, I should have it down!


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

You're very welcome Liz. I hope it works for you as well as it does for me  If you have unregistered goats that you can practice on then go at it! Practice makes perfect!


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

do these guys have a magazine or catalog?

i cant find it on their site...anyone want to send me an old issue if you have one?


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

I don't think they have a catalog. I've never really looked though. Here's the link to the battery operated tattooers
https://www.bunnyrabbit.com/price/tattoo.htm


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

They have a catalog of sorts.

Click on the link above,
Click on HOME
Click on printable price list.

A page comes up with several pages of pdf individual catalog pages.
HTH


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

thank you Crocee!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Mine came in a week ago! It is QUIET and though I figurd on trying it out withmy unregistered first.....they were more PO'd that I was holding the ear! Fast and easy, though you do need to be sure the needle is sticking out far enough.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

nice! any problems?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Only with not having the needle sticking out far enough! lol.....when it says 1/16 of an inch beyond the tip of the little barrel tube, they meant it! And if you can keep hold of the ear long enough it goes very smoothly.....mine were more interested in what was holding onto them and why...and as I said, more ticked because I had a hold of them.


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

Wow, I want to try this, is it easier to read?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

so you liked it Liz?


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## Just Kiddin' (Nov 18, 2008)

I'm glad it worked for you and you like it! I really really like doing them that way. It's less painful and MUCH easier to read and lasts wayyyyyyyyyy longer. You're right, they do get more mad at being held then having the tattoo itself done. It's much quieter than most people think it would be. Glad you're liking it!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

> so you liked it Liz?
> so you liked it Liz?


Sure did....and it comes with the black ink....I bout the green ink extra because I do anticipate Binky's kids to be dark eared.


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

Seems so much more cost effective than buying a tatoo out-fit, and my herd name is letters and numbers! So I was planning on just having to borrow or have someone else do them. 

Can you walk me through the tatoo procedure with one of the pens? Do you get the EZ tat Liz?


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

You have to make the numbers and letter yourself right? I just can not imagine trying to "write" on a goat's ear. I can just see them turning and their number is 123----------- as it runs off the edge.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

rebelshope said:


> You have to make the numbers and letter yourself right? I just can not imagine trying to "write" on a goat's ear. I can just see them turning and their number is 123----------- as it runs off the edge.


 :slapfloor: :slapfloor: :slapfloor:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I did get the EZ Tat.......and SUCCESS!!!!!!

I love it! Just did Bonnie today, though some may not tat a kid at 2 weeks old, it was easier for me to do solo while holding her on my lap, not too big to put up a forceful struggle. lol
I did us a "freeze pop" popscicle to "numb" her ears before I went to work, and I did have it turned on before I held her so that she was accustomed to the buzz. She was more upset that I wasn't letting her down to play with Angels boys.

Very simple to do as far as "writing" out the letters and with a simple tat and only 1 kid it went quick!

The green ink showed up better than I thot it would in those dark little ears...I just rubbed my thumb across the fresh tat to remove any exess ink and it was VERY legible. So her right ear has DAH and her left Z1 :leap:

Now she'll be going this week for disbudding....I thot I would get lucky and she was polled because her dam is, but she's got buds sprouting


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## ecologystudent (May 30, 2009)

So I just remembered the tattoo pens they used to tattoo the rabbit ears when I was in 4-H, and luckily found this thread before I posted a new one. I remember that the rabbits really seemed to do much better with the pen than with the tattoo clamps, so I'm considering getting one of these to tattoo my little doeling instead of getting the clamps. And I might be getting back into rabbits anyway so it seems like a good idea.

It seems so much easier, but I'm still a little nervous. Do you think it'd be ok for some one who hasn't tattooed anything before to use the pen rather than the clamps? I have a pet mix breed bunny that I could try it out on first. 

I just like the pen idea a lot better than the idea of the clamps.


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## GoldenSeal (Sep 14, 2010)

This is quite interesting did anyone else get to trying these pens out?


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## mistyblue (Nov 13, 2008)

I would like to know this as well, we have lamancha's and the pen might work better on their tails.

Has anyone used this on the lamancha's before?


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## GoldenSeal (Sep 14, 2010)

I ordered this online today (asked around where I lived and everyone looked at me funny) and when I get it I'll update on how it goes for me. Even if I would have found it close to me it would probably cost 100-150 here because as soon as anything crosses the border it's at least double the price. I won't have it for a good two weeks though.


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

Wait, you have to redo the tattoos? I was looking in my does' ears and didn't see the tattoos, and they were fussing so i figured i'd look later (this was a few months ago) but maybe they disappeared...................how annoying.


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