Insurance for older rabbits

[Moonstone]

I've adopted a rescue bunny who's over 5 years old. I have a quote from Agria but are there any other companies that insure older rabbits?

Every time I ask for a quote they start with his breed and I'm um... he's small, like a mini lop but smaller, with helicopter ears that are sometimes both upright and a Nethie type face with English spot markings... and they decide to chalk him up as "small rabbit" or something equally vague!

 

[Shimmer]

Breed - most pet rabbits are mixed breed, so that should be an acceptable answer. I hope you find suitable insurance.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

From personal experience, I expect Agria are the only ones you will find but I would also very highly recommend them.

 

[Moonstone]

Thank you, Bunny Buddy. I took out a policy with Agria this morning. The only thing I didn't like was that if he dies I have continue to pay for the rest of the year of cover afterwards (assuming I'd made a claim that year which I can assume I would have if he was dying). Besides that I did think what they were offering was very reasonable considering his age, a significantly lower premium than I'm paying for Millie to Pet Plan which is helpful. Lower excess too but for £1.5k less cover.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

I didn't know about the paying for a full year after death - I have not come across that before. I wonder if it's new, I must have had that circumstance.

Agria have been excellent with paying out for us.

 

[Moonstone]

It's not necessarily a full year, just up to the natural end/renewal of the annual policy. I'm glad they're excellent at paying out.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

It's not necessarily a full year, just up to the natural end/renewal of the annual policy. I'm glad they're excellent at paying out.

Sorry, I was replying in haste, I probably should have said "THE" full year - as in the remainder of the contract but did understand what you had written. I have had a few die whilst insured with Pets at Home/Pet Plan/Helpucover and I know the payments have stopped on death. I have even had cheques for insignificant amounts for part-month repayment. That was a strange arrangement as the claim was paid electronically but the pittance was by cheque!

I need to look carefully at insuring the oldies such as Theo (12), if they are expensive premiums and they require the full year.

The only rabbit I have insured with anyone else is Arthur with P@H, he is 8 and his renewal was an eye watering £345!! (I can't move him as has pre-existing conditions). That's for the same terms as Agria (£1,500 cover plus £75 and 10% excess). I thought very carefully about renewing but he had an eye removed during this year costing about £1k, so we have got our money's worth! I dread to think what the premium will be next year but I'm pretty sure we will be cancelling on renewal.

 

[Moonstone]

It's a challenge isn't it? With vet bills so expensive. I spent £1k on Archie in the week of his death and was thankful the Pet Plan premiums ended straight away, the hospital visit was covered by insurance but not the at home pts service or cremation. Millie who is 12 has huge premiums but also arthritis and ongoing meds and her herbal medicine is covered too so I'm not changing it.

It would be worth checking your Agria insurance in case the small print changed before I took my policy out. They do pay out what you bought for the rabbit when he dies, which is likely to be more if he was from a rescue and they're covering his neutering and vaccinations. Pet Plan don't do that, they say it give owners an incentive to kill them but it's not much of one, buying and insuring bunnies isn't exactly a money making scheme.

Call me a cynic but I think some companies send cheques in the hope you'll forget, or won't bother, to cash them in.

If I can, I'll be putting money aside with a view to providing my own insurance in the future but my financial position is a bit up in the air at the moment.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

It's a challenge isn't it? With vet bills so expensive. I spent £1k on Archie in the week of his death and was thankful the Pet Plan premiums ended straight away, the hospital visit was covered by insurance but not the at home pts service or cremation. Millie who is 12 has huge premiums but also arthritis and ongoing meds and her herbal medicine is covered too so I'm not changing it.

It would be worth checking your Agria insurance in case the small print changed before I took my policy out. They do pay out what you bought for the rabbit when he dies, which is likely to be more if he was from a rescue and they're covering his neutering and vaccinations. Pet Plan don't do that, they say it give owners an incentive to kill them but it's not much of one, buying and insuring bunnies isn't exactly a money making scheme.

Call me a cynic but I think some companies send cheques in the hope you'll forget, or won't bother, to cash them in.

If I can, I'll be putting money aside with a view to providing my own insurance in the future but my financial position is a bit up in the air at the moment.

You make some interesting points there. I remember reading a long time ago that "they" (whoever it was at the time!) would pay for the cost of the rabbit but only if they were under 5 years old!! It's like over 5 is living on borrowed time or such. I have never been paid out for the cost of the rabbit but you probably need to specify and it's not crossed my mind at all. I have been paid out for euthanasia in recent years, I can't remember who for but almost certainly by Agria.

You are probably right about the cheques - I found one that I had forgotten to bank and had passed it's date, about £14. It all adds up if a few people forget.

 

[Moonstone]

Yet it's pretty common for them to live until they're over 5 now.

Pet Plan would have paid out for Archie's euthanasia if it had been carried out at the vet's but he was at home, something that wasn't considered necessary except by me (and probably him and Millie) so I only got a small part of it.

 

[joey&boo]

I think that must be new, continuing to pay premiums once your bun has passed. When Boo died (Sept last year) I was paying monthly DD & they refunded half the month back to me

 

[Bunny Buddy]

I think that must be new, continuing to pay premiums once your bun has passed. When Boo died (Sept last year) I was paying monthly DD & they refunded half the month back to me

It seems immoral, doesn't it? Paying to insure when they are no longer around.

I have always accepted if you cancel part way through the year and you have made a claim then you are expected to pay for the full year. However, if the animal dies during that year, whether you have claimed or not, the payments stop. I haven't read T&C in a long time, I probably should.