Pedigree question

[SuburbanHomesteader]

I heard back from ARBA on the number of characters for the ear number:

We do have restrictions regarding the ear number, but not with amount of
letters/numbers used. Just keep in mind that too large an ear number can be
difficult to enter into our ARBA Registration Database (should the animal become
registered through the ARBA). I would say 20 letters/numbers/spaces included
would be good. Check the ARBA website under the show rules for information
regarding ear numbers too.

SUSAN BAKER
AMERICAN RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT
309.664.7500

I imagine this changed as more and more people started using tattoo pens. I know I can only load 5 characters in my tattoo clamp. Regardless, we've got our answer. Enjoy!!

 

[Miss M]

Thank you, SuburbanHomesteader!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

It all boils down to how much you trust the integrity of the person you are buying from.

I bought my Rex from One Acre Farm .... None of them have a tattoo. They all came with Pedigree's.

The tattoo is simply a requirement for showing and otherwise an identifying mark.

Unlike other breeds of livestock there is no regulation or registration that comes with a tattoo or pedigree.

For a small operation like mine that doesn't show , its just another expense & consumes my valuable time. I know where every rabbit is and where / who it came from and in general only have one or two litters at a time which are easily distinguishable from one another due to color.
I keep the documentation for each litter on my computer & when needed print a pedigree for sales. If I decide to keep one for breeding purposes I add it to my database and label its cage and from that point on that rabbit will generally stay in the same hole.
If they aren't sold or used as breeders , I see no point adding them to my database when they go to the freezer camp.

Since I only have only four purebred does and two purebred bucks .... It's easy to keep up with.

Now if I had a much larger operation where the possibility of confusion was greater .... I'd tattoo them.


When you think about it , a breeder can write anything on that pedigree they want tattoo or not. That tattoo doesn't magically increase their integrity.

I did not tattoo Ramjet's rabbits at the time of sale because he was buying them for meat breeding purposes. I gave the pedigree records with the rabbits, so that he could better decide which rabbit to breed with which. The pedigree is just a record of ancestry and is NOT an indicator of quality, since even a cross bred mutt rabbit can have a pedigree. <br /><br /> -- Fri Jan 16, 2015 11:23 pm -- <br /><br />

I'll have to check with ARBA - its been a few years since I put all that together. And since I don't sell pedigreed Rex anymore, I haven't kept it current.

I still tattoo all my rabbits except for obvious culls that go to my raw feeders. It's the only way I can tell one NZ REW from another!! I track weight and all that and it's just the only way I've found to know which rabbit is which.

Oh yeah...... The whole pedigree thing is all based on honesty. For me, it's the only way I knew which pedigree document went with which rabbit.

Yes, I tattoo most rabbits that leave here, unless I know they are going to be butchered for meat or used to breed for meat. The other ones that don't get a tattoo before leaving are meat pen kits, since they will be tattooed at verification day for the show. And if I know the person buying really well, like Miss M for instance, I will trust them to tattoo what they want and let me know and I will correct the pedigree and send them an updated copy, if they desire. But only for those I know and trust.

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

"But only for those I know and trust."

I totally agree. When I first looked into it, I was amazed at how the pedigree document is built on trust. Then, as I thought about it more, how else could it work?

I do like ARBA's idea of a trained registrar having to look at the rabbit and it has to pass standard in order to be registered. At least there you get two "learned" opinions of quality: the registrar's and the breeder's.

 

[Miss M]

This has been such an informative thread! It never occurred to me how much pedigree papers are based on trust.

I will be getting some form of tattoo equipment very soon. I don't want another rabbit leaving here untattooed. Unless, like OAF said, it's to someone I know and trust (thank you ).