Exotic Pet Insurance: Everything you need to know

What is exotic pet insurance?

Most insurance companies that specialise in pet insurance only offer cover for dogs and cats, or other common pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. Where as pet insurance for exotic animals is only covered directly by a select few pet insurers.

Insurance covers you, or in this case your exotic pet, for when things go wrong. This could be sudden illness or injury caused by an accident. When matters like this happen, you may be expected to pay for a large vet bill, and if you don’t have the money up front this can be hard to deal with the money coming direct from your bank account. This is where insurance comes in handy - you pay the first £30, and anything up to the value of £5,000 after that is covered by the pet insurance policy. Pretty good huh?

You can also get optional extras in your pet insurance policy like death and theft cover, and cover for advertising and reward if your pet runs away from home and goes missing. It’s the little things that are a great help when you’re going through a tough time, knowing they are covered.

Why is exotic pet insurance so important?

Pet insurance is important for exotic pets, not only directly in case of an unexpected vet bill, but it reinstates the value of exotic pets compared to your average Cat or Dog in the pet world. Exotic pets are worth just the same in time and effort, sometimes more, to look after. And exotic pets are just as important, they deserve the same protection insurance gives to any other pet.

There are hundreds of exotic pet societies and clubs up and down the country, re homing exotic pets like tortoises, lizards and snakes every day. Over 50% of these cases are from abandonment, sadly some people feel less remorse leaving a pet snake behind, than a cat or a dog. This needs to change. With insurance you are protecting that animal and taking a direct approach to showing others around you the important of protecting your pet, big or small, fury or scaly. Together we can direct equal rights for exotic pets in the right direct.

The history of pet insurance around the world

Pet insurance has been popular in many countries around the world for a long time. The concept of insuring a pet dog started way back in 1924, in Sweden, and even now, Sweden is a global leader in pet insurance, with around 80% of the nation’s dogs covered. The UK was the next big market to open up direct to customers, but although the first policy was written in 1947, market penetration has stayed relatively low, at around 20 – 25% of the pet population, including exotic pets. Uptake of pet insurance varies from country to country: in the USA, pet insurance has never taken off in a wide ranging way, with estimates that less than 1% of pets are covered.

How much does exotic pet insurance cost?

Well, it depends on the animal, the age, any existing conditions and the type of cover you want.

You can get up to £5,000 worth of cover for vet bills
£300 for advertising and reward
The purchase price of your pet if it goes missing or dies from injury or illness
Complimentary treatment up to £500
Plus loads more options.

All for as little as £8.14 a month in some cases. And all you need to pay is the first £30 if something happens. To get your quote click here.

What animals are covered under exotic pet insurance?