Touching Up Existing Tattoos

In time even the best of tattoos may fade. If you can’t even see the tattoo any longer, then you could just place an entirely new tattoo in the ear (with the same number as before). If parts are legible and others are not, you will need to touch up the faded areas.

There are two options for touching up a tattoo: the single needle and the electric tattoo pen. Since I’ve already written about using the pen, we’ll discuss using the single needle.

The touch-up needle is a little hand-held single unit that you can pick up at any rabbit supply company. It’s a good idea to carry one in your show box, in case you notice that a tattoo is illegible and need to fix it quickly.

Simply restrain the bunny, clean the ear, and use the single needle to puncture new holes along the faded lines of the old tattoo. Hold the ear taught between your fingers, with the skin stretched over your middle finger so that it turns inside-out and lets the needle go into the skin with minimal pressure.

When you’ve dotted along the old lines, then use a Q-tip dipped in tattoo ink to rub over the marks. Rub firmly. Finish by wiping on a little antibiotic ointment or Preparation-H.