Rabbit Insurance

What is rabbit insurance?

Rabbit insurance can offer financial protection for unexpected costs relating to your pet, including, but not limited to, the cost of vet bills as a result of your rabbit being injured or ill.

Is rabbit insurance worth it?

With rabbits being such small members of the family, it might be more tempting to forgo insuring them in comparison to a dog or cat. But although they are small, they can be prone to all sorts of scuffles and scrapes. Buying rabbit insurance will give you the peace of mind that your bunny will get the care it needs if illness or injury occurs.

A monthly rabbit insurance policy typically won’t set you back that much (compared to your routine costs of rabbit care and food!). But having insurance makes sure that, should Thumper need to see the vet, you won’t have to pay for the damage.

Rabbit insurance typically covers things such as:

• Vet fees (including diagnostics and surgery)
• Prescription medicine
• Dental illness and injury (as long as you keep up annual vet dental checks)
• Physiotherapy and complementary treatment (eg. homeopathy)
• Behavioural condition treatment
• Payments if your rabbit goes missing (for advertising or a reward)
• Boarding fees if you’re hospitalised

An unexpected surgical bill can quickly rack up into the hundreds, so it’s good to know that your insurance will cover the cost, minus any excess. And if you need to buy insurance for multiple rabbits or several pets, most insurers will offer you a discount for taking out a multi-pet policy with them.

What doesn’t rabbit insurance cover?

Often, rabbit insurance won’t cover you for things that are considered routine (such as vaccinations or dental check-ups), or treatments that you opt for (such as neutering, or breeding costs). Dental treatments are sometimes excluded too. Almost all insurers will exclude routine dental treatments, such as burring, but only some will offer cover for dental treatment as a result of injury or illness. Have a good scour through your policy documents to check before you buy!

You also won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions. This means any condition that your bunny has suffered in the past will be excluded, unless you specifically pay extra for cover for that condition.

For a full list of what’s commonly covered and not covered in pet insurance policies, read our guide to pet insurance.

What’s the difference between annual and lifetime rabbit insurance?

When it comes to purchasing your rabbit insurance policy, there are two types available – annual and lifetime.

An annual policy lasts for 12 months, and needs to be renewed yearly. These will be cheaper, however, they can make your rabbit’s care progressively more expensive for you, as each time you claim for a new condition, it will then become a pre-existing condition when you come to renew. If your bunny suffers a few problems over the years, it can result in an insurance policy with lots of pre-existing conditions which offers you less cover.

A lifetime policy does what it says on the tin – it covers your bunny for life. They’re a bit pricier, but they allow you to claim for any new condition your rabbit may develop over the course of its lifetime. It’s likely there will be a yearly limit for each condition, but it’s the far better option if your bunny develops a recurring illness.

How much does it cost to insure a rabbit

Rabbit insurance policies tend to sit somewhere between £5 and £20 a month. Of course, each policy is tailored to your rabbit and its history, so your price will vary. Quotes also vary depending on where you live, as vet bills are different around the country.

Age is another big factor in determining the price of rabbit insurance. You can typically insure a rabbit from eight weeks old, up to five years. Although rabbits can live to anywhere between eight to 12 years old, insurers are often reluctant to insure rabbits aged five and above. Again, this is where a lifetime policy, taken out when the rabbit was young, is beneficial, as it will cover your pet into its twilight years.