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Exotic animals require specialist vet care and are more sensitive to illness, making vet visits more expensive and more likely. Therefore, investing in pet insurance is worth the cost.
Few providers offer exotic pet insurance or vet discount plans, but some of the main ones are MetLife, Nationwide, and Pet Assure.
Similarly to standard pet insurance, getting coverage when the pet is young before it develops an illness is important.
Many pre-existing conditions are not covered under exotic pet insurance policies.
Pet Assure
With the Pet Assure Veterinary Discount Plan, you can save 25% on in-house medical care for all pets, including exotic animals.
All types of pets, ages and pre-existing conditions are covered
Traditional pet insurance is often only available for cats and dogs. If you have a more exotic pet, such as a bird, rodent, amphibian or reptile, you’ll need to look for an insurance provider that covers a wider variety of animal species. This is known as exotic pet insurance.
While fewer options exist for insuring an exotic pet, some solid pet insurance plans are still available. Below, we cover the major providers offering health insurance for exotic animals.
Which companies offer exotic pet insurance?
Very few providers offer pet insurance for animals other than cats and dogs. Here’s a look at the leading providers for exotic pet coverage.
MetLife
MetLife offers specialized pet insurance for exotic pets, including birds, reptiles and small mammals. This comprehensive plan covers a range of medical needs such as exams, diagnostic tests and medication. MetLife’s policy delivers reimbursement for covered expenses, allowing you to recover up to 90% of the veterinary costs, depending on your chosen plan.
Deductibles typically range from $50 to $500, with higher deductibles often resulting in lower monthly premiums. Your deductible will also be reduced by $50 if you don’t claim for a full calendar year.
Nationwide
Nationwide offers exotic pet insurance that covers birds, rabbits, mini goats and pigs, frogs, reptiles, lizards, guinea pigs, ferrets, and other small mammals. Their plans usually start at less than $21 per month, but the cost may vary depending on the pet type and the coverage amount.
Depending on the exotic animal, policies will cover accidents, injuries and illnesses, ranging from dehydration to upper respiratory infections. After meeting their $250 deductible, reimbursements of up to 70% are available with an annual cap of $10,000.
Pet Assure
Pet Assure isn’t an insurance provider; instead, it offers instant discounts at over 5,200 veterinarian offices, making animal care more affordable. This means you don’t have to worry about preexisting conditions, deductibles or waiting periods.
Discounts are available for all types of pets, including exotic animals. Instead of paying a monthly premium, you’ll pay a membership fee. Instead of reimbursements, you’ll receive a 25% discount on in-house medical care. Average savings include $30 off X-rays, $29.50 off vaccinations and $11.50 off routine wellness exams.
Do exotic animals need pet insurance?
Pet insurance is a personal decision and may not be necessary for everyone, but having pet insurance can be beneficial for just about anyone. This is especially true for exotic animals, which are often more sensitive to environmental changes, prone to health issues and require specialized care from qualified veterinarians.
Most exotic animals require care from veterinarians with specialized training and expertise in exotic animals. Due to their specialized training, equipment, facilities, and overall scarcity, exotic vets are usually more expensive than regular vets. Therefore, it is recommended that you have an insurance policy to help foot the bill.
Exotic animals are typically more sensitive to stress, nutritional deficiencies, changes in their environment and have specific social needs than other animals. As a result, they are more prone to illness and may require regular visits to specialized vets, which can be more costly. These factors can make it challenging to properly care for your exotic pet without pet insurance.
What qualifies as an exotic pet?
The following animals are typically considered exotic pets:
Amphibians
Bearded dragons
Certain birds
Chameleons
Chinchillas
Ferrets
Gerbils
Goats
Guinea pigs
Hamsters
Hedgehogs
Iguanas
Lizards
Mice
Pigs
Rabbits
Rat
Snakes
Sugar gliders
Tortoises
Turtles
However, you may find that not all of these can be covered by pet insurance. Most pet insurers that cover exotic pets, like MetLife, will accept birds, reptiles, small rodents, amphibians, opossums, hedgehogs, pigs, goats, rabbits, and ferrets.
How does exotic pet insurance work?
Exotic pet insurance works the same as standard pet insurance. You’ll need to choose between an accident-only policy and an accident and illness policy. Additionally, you may want to consider opting for an additional wellness plan to cover ongoing and routine care.
Unlike traditional pet insurance, which occasionally offers plans that pay the vet directly, most exotic pet insurance companies don’t offer direct-pay options. Instead, you’ll have to pay the vet bill out-of-pocket and request a reimbursement from your insurer. You’ll also need to select a deductible amount, a maximum annual limit and a percentage level for reimbursement.
What does pet insurance for exotic animals cover?
Pet insurance for exotic animals can provide a much-needed lifeline if your pet becomes seriously injured or sick. While it’s true that having to pay your veterinarian upfront could make some services too expensive, you’ll at least have the opportunity to get reimbursed.
Coverage for accidents and injuries
Your insurance will cover the cost if your exotic animal pet is accidentally injured. This is good news for pet owners who want to avoid paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to treat an accidental incident.
This includes:
Broken bones
Sprains
Poisoning
Foreign body ingestion
Lacerations
Soft tissue trauma
Coverage for illnesses
Is there anything worse than having a sick pet and being unable to help them?
Fortunately, exotic animal pet insurance can help you pay for illnesses, including:
Allergies
Ear infections
Overgrown teeth
Foreign body ingestion
Arthritis
Diarrhea
Cancer
Eye injuries
Internal parasites
Feather picking
Mouth rot
Upper respiratory infection
Reptiles that suffer from foreign body ingestion can quickly run up bills of more than $1,000. In this case, the monthly cost of reptile pet insurance becomes more than worthwhile with just one illness or accident.
Veterinary services
Your exotic pet insurance plan will also cover most veterinary services, such as:
Diagnostic tests
Treatments
Hospitalizations
Prescription medication
Avian-specific diagnostic tests
Surgeries
Let’s say your rabbit needs to go to the vet for a GI stasis emergency. Even if they’re kept overnight, this will typically cost you $300 to $400. Again, the monthly cost of pet insurance could easily outweigh the cost of just this one procedure.
What does pet insurance for exotic pets not cover?
As with health insurance for humans, there are some things your pet may need that are not covered.
Common exclusions
Breeding cost: This may include ultrasounds and pregnancy tests.
Diseases preventable by vaccines: If your rabbit gets hemorrhagic disease (RHD) but wasn’t vaccinated against this condition, your exotic pet insurance will not cover the cost of treatment.
Elective procedures: Elective means anything that isn’t medically necessary, such as getting their nails trimmed or wings clipped.
Boarding or transport expenses: Boarding your pet is typically only done when you decide to go on vacation, so it’s not covered.
Costs unrelated to veterinary care: This includes things such as collars, rabbit litter, toys or a lizard lounger.
Food and supplements: Even if your veterinarian suggests using a specific supplement or brand of food, your exotic animal pet insurance will not reimburse you for it.
Congenital disabilities or diseases: An exotic pet born with dwarfism or a cleft palate, for example, won’t be covered.
Orthodontics: Several types of exotic animals may require orthodontic care that is not covered, including teeth grinding, occlusion abnormalities, or proper tooth alignment
Routine care: Every pet needs vaccinations and basic exams. Unfortunately, exotic pet insurance does not cover this type of routine care.
Pre-existing conditions: Any illness or injury before you purchase your exotic pet plan will not be covered.
Spay/neuter: Although spaying or neutering your exotic animal can provide them with a better life, these surgeries are not included in your pet insurance plan.
Types of exotic pets that aren’t covered
Alongside the care exclusions, exotic pet insurers may not cover certain exotic animals and species.
These often include:
Illegal species: Any illegal animal to own under federal or state guidelines isn’t covered. This includes coyotes, black bears and wolves.
Registered species: If you are required to get your exotic pet registered or have a permit to own it, you cannot purchase exotic pet insurance.
Threatened or endangered species: Any species on the threatened or endangered list, such as a ball python, cannot be covered.
Species kept on display: If you keep your exotic animal on display or in a flock, it is not eligible for pet insurance.
Poisonous or venomous species: Tarantulas and scorpions might make good pets but cannot be insured.
Hybrids of wild and domesticated pets: Even if your hybrid pet is half domesticated, you cannot get pet insurance. In other words, getting a wolfdog means you’ll have to pay for everything without insurance assistance.
How much does exotic pet insurance cost?
Although there is no set price, exotic animal insurance generally costs between $10 and $100 a month. Prices will also vary based on several factors, including the pet’s age, species, location and the amount of coverage you’re looking for.
If you’re in the market for ferret insurance, it will typically start at less than $21 a month. However, you may also want to add a pet wellness plan to cover vaccinations and wellness exams. This, of course, will come at an additional cost.
When addressing the cost of pet insurance, it’s also important to see how much you can save with a pet insurance plan. For instance, metabolic bone disease is common among iguanas. Diagnosing it usually involves X-rays (which cost between $150 and $500 on average) and blood work (an additional $40).
In this example, even with a moderate deductible, pet insurance could still save you money by the end of the diagnosis, and this doesn’t even account for the costs of the resulting therapeutic treatments.
Things to consider when buying exotic pet insurance
Before purchasing a policy, take time to consider your pet’s specific needs. Are they accident-prone? Have they never needed vet assistance for anything major in the past? Do they have a lot of health issues? Reflect on these questions and the points listed below before deciding.
Costs
As you undoubtedly know from having your own health insurance, not all plans are created equally. Therefore, you must consider your pet’s average yearly vet expenses. Additionally, you’ll need to balance this cost versus the amount you could save with insurance. Remember to factor in premiums, deductibles and copayments.
Most exotic animals must visit the vet at least once or twice a year. Here are some typical exotic pet vet costs, along with how much insurance could save you:
Iguanas: Cost an average of a few hundred dollars annually, plus up to $500 monthly for medication. Exotic pet insurance could save you a considerable amount of money.
Rabbits: The typical annual cost of emergency care is $300 to $2,500. Using insurance could save you this amount.
Bearded dragons: A bearded dragon who isn’t prone to sickness or accidents will generally only rack up around $75 in annual vet bills. In this instance, exotic animal pet insurance will not save you money.
Turtles: The average turtle costs between $20 and $280 annually. However, insurance can save you around $160 per year.
Snakes: A snake’s bills can run anywhere from $17 to $1,370. If you’re unlucky enough to pay $1,370 out-of-pocket, your pet insurance could reimburse you for approximately $1,000.
As previously mentioned, the above examples are only rough estimates. Your individual experience may be different.
Coverage
Look over the policy offered by each company to see what pet insurance covers and compare it to other providers.
There are typically three types of policies:
Accident-only: This policy only covers your exotic animal for accidental injuries such as wounds, scratches and lacerations.
Accident and illness: As a more expensive policy, accident and illness insurance covers accidents and illnesses ranging from cancer to upper respiratory infections.
Wellness and preventative: This policy will only reimburse for preventative care and regular health screenings.
Before selecting an option, consider the needs of your particular species. Pet insurance will be even more important if your pet needs to be seen by a specialist veterinarian regularly.
Exclusions and limitations
Always read the fine print before signing a policy. Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered, which is problematic for certain pets. Rabbits often suffer from shortness of breath and overgrown teeth. Ferrets can develop adrenal disease. Rats often have tumors. The list goes on, but the point remains - unless you have appropriate coverage before diagnosis, these conditions won’t be covered.
Waiting periods are common, which means coverage will not be available if your pet gets sick within the first 14 days, for example. You’ll also have to deal with an annual or lifetime limit.
Is exotic pet insurance worth it?
Yes, exotic pet insurance is generally worth the cost. That’s because exotic animals usually require treatment from specialized vets, which are more expensive than traditional vets. Additionally, exotic animals are arguably more prone to health issues than dogs or cats due to their specific dietary needs and environmental sensitivity.
Once you consider the cost of specialty veterinarians with specialized equipment and longer consulting times, you stand to save a lot of money if your pet gets injured or sick. For example, for a serious illness like cancer, you can expect to pay around $3,000 for a diagnosis and treatment plan. Even a basic exotic pet insurance plan could save you approximately $1,850 by the end of treatment.
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