Thank you for all of the amazing informationYes, I have used a standard tattoo kit with the digits you load in. I have also used a single needle tattoo pen with ink. Either way is fine, it depends how comfortable you are with either. There are also electric tattoo kits available now. I don't have any experience with them.
If you decide to use a clamp type tattoo pliers, be careful to load the letters and numbers backwards since if you load them so you can read them they will come out backwards in the ear. I always clamp the tattoo on a piece of paper before doing any ears because even after tattooing about 1000 rabbits in my time I still occasionally transpose digits. By clamping the pliers on a piece of paper you can read the tattoo before making any mistakes. With the tattoo pliers you will clamp the ear hard enough to pierce the skin with all the needles. Blot away any blood and apply a heavy coating of ink, rubbing it in well. Use black Indian ink and cover the tattoo with Vaseline to seal in the ink.
If you decide to use a single tattoo needle, have someone hold the rabbit and work quickly. I draw the tattoo number/letter combo on thw ear with a Sharpie first, then follow that pattern with the needle. For this style tattoo you will dip the needle in the ink each time you puncture the skin. Use black Indian ink and cover the tattoo with Vaseline to seal in the ink.
Procedure: Clean the ear with alcohol to clean off any oil on the skin. Wrap the rabbit in a towel and have someone hold it firmly. You can get badly scratched by rabbit claws so be sure you disinfect any scratches and use antibiotic. You can also cut a hole in the toe of an old sock and shove the rabbit in head first - pull the head or ear out of the hole to tattoo.
Decide what letter /number combo you want for your personal barn tattoo. YOUR PERSONAL ID TATTOO GOES IN THE LEFT EAR OF THE RABBIT. The ARBA registration number goes in the right ear. Whether you eventually register your rabbits or not, any rabbit being shown in either ARBA or youth shows/Fairs must show the personal ID number in the left ear. If you put it in the right ear you will be disqualified.
Be bold when tattooing - too little pressure and the number/letter needles will not pierce the skin or will only partially pierce it. When you try to retattoo you will have a problem if some of the needles have made holes. If this happens, you will have to tattoo the ear with the single needle to make sure the ID comes out legible.
With DH's barn we used the buck's first initial with the doe's first initial and a sequential number after that. Then we used odd numbers for bucks and even numbers for does, i.e. TS1 or TS2. Second litters out of the same pair would get a 1 after the initials before the number, i.e. TS11 or TS12. This method worked great since at a glance we knew who the sire and dam were and whether it was male or female by just checking the ear. When we ran out of names with different first letters for our rabbits things got more complicated. LOL There are lots of ways you can put together letters and numbers to make your own individual ID. You might want to include your initials or your barn name initials, particularly if you are attending a lot of shows with single color pattern rabbits. This will avoid any mix ups on the judging table. You would be amazed to find out that most 4-H rabbit meat pens are ALL numbered 1, 2, & 3.
Determine your personal ID combination first, then you will probably want to purchase duplicate sets of numbers and letters when you purchase your tattoo kit. You will surprised how often you use doubled letters or numbers in your IDs.
Oh yes, and never place the open box of digits on a surface in your barn, particularly if there is straw or shavings on the floor. Took me an hour on my hands and knees to find them all.
