Rabbit Insurance Comparison: Everything You Need To Know
We explain the different types of rabbit insurance and compare plans so you can protect your pet with ease.
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Rabbits can make wonderful pets—cute, cuddly, and loveable. But as a pet owner, you’re bound to worry about providing them with the best care if they become unwell or have an accident.
Whether you’re adopting a new rabbit or looking for ways to support your beloved bunny, choosing the best pet insurance for the right price can take time and feel overwhelming.
Our rabbit insurance comparison guide breaks everything down for you. We explain how rabbit insurance works and give you a rundown of the best plans available so you can care for your pet with peace of mind.
Key takeaways
- Like all pets, rabbits can develop a range of common conditions or suffer from mishaps that might need treatment.
- Rabbit insurance can help prevent large bills by covering the cost of veterinary treatment if your rabbit is unwell or has an accident.
- Lifetime pet insurance is common and comprehensive, but you could save money with more limited coverage.
- Most rabbit insurance plans don’t cover pre-existing conditions.
What is rabbit insurance?
Rabbit insurance is a type of pet insurance for your bunny. Like other forms of pet insurance, it covers some or all of the cost of treatment if your rabbit falls ill or has an accident.
You pay a monthly or annual premium, and in return, you get help with vet bills, which can be expensive, especially if your rabbit needs special treatment or surgery.
As with any pet insurance, you may need to pay an excess (out-of-pocket) fee before your insurer covers the rest. You can normally claim up to a certain amount, and many providers will pay your vet directly.
Not all pet insurance providers cover rabbits—cat and dog insurance is more common. But there are still a number of providers who will insure your rabbit.
Do I need insurance for my rabbit?
Although rabbits tend to be smaller than cats and dogs, their veterinary treatment can be expensive. Without insurance, you’ll have to pay the full cost of vet care. This could be hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Insurance can take away the stress of these costs and let you focus on your rabbit's recovery rather than worrying about how you'll afford the treatment.
That said, you should weigh the cost of the insurance premium against the cost of potential treatments and check coverage policies carefully to assess whether it’s a worthwhile purchase for you.
For example, an older rabbit or one with pre-existing conditions may be more difficult or expensive to insure. Plus, coverage limitations could mean your pet's treatment isn't included, defeating the purpose of paying for insurance.
Common health risks for rabbits
Rabbits can suffer from a range of common health problems that could require medical intervention, including surgery or vaccination. These include:
- Snuffles: A bacterial infection, which causes respiratory distress, including nasal discharge, sneezing, and runny eyes.
- Parasites: These include gut infections, mites, fleas, or ticks, which can cause digestive irritation, skin infections, ear canker, and other serious conditions.
- Dental problems: These include tooth or gum pain, gum disease, and misaligned teeth.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) stasis: A gut condition caused by a bacterial infection that can lead to suppressed appetite.
- Cancer: Particularly uterine cancer in female rabbits.
- Pododermatitis: A condition in which the skin on the ankles (hocks) is worn down and can ulcerate.
- Myxomatosis: A frequently-fatal, blood-borne viral infection.
- R(V)HD (Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease): A dangerous viral infection that can cause internal bleeding.
- Flystrike: A painful infestation with blowfly maggots, which burrow into the skin, particularly risky for rabbits kept in dirty environments. This can be life-threatening.
- Hairballs: These form when your rabbit swallows their own fur. This fur can accumulate in their stomach and may compact into an obstructive ball that can stop them from eating and drinking properly.
What insurance options are available for rabbits?
When choosing your rabbit insurance, consider what type of coverage best suits your pet's specific needs and your budget. Here are the most popular rabbit insurance options available today:
Lifetime coverage
This policy type insures your rabbit for included illnesses and accidents each year for the course of their life (as long as the conditions don’t pre-date the start of the policy). You're typically covered up to a certain financial limit, which only refreshes when you renew your annual policy.
This is the best type of cover for long-term or recurring conditions, as you can usually claim for the same illness across multiple years.
Annual or limited-term coverage
This type of insurance covers each illness or accident that arises for a set time period (often 1 year after the first treatment) or until the cover limit is reached. You can claim for multiple conditions within the time period, but there will be an overall cover limit for all claims together.
You can renew the insurance after the time elapses, but any conditions that arise during this period won’t be covered in the future (as they’re considered ‘pre-existing’). While it can be cheaper than lifetime cover and useful for short-term health conditions, the lack of protection for long-term conditions is worth considering.
Accident-only coverage
This is the most basic and the cheapest pet insurance type. It covers only treatment costs if your rabbit gets injured in an accident—for instance, if they fall and break a leg or suffer an injury from another animal.
This policy doesn’t cover illnesses, including the common diseases that can affect rabbits.
Maximum benefit
With this type of coverage, you can claim for each illness or injury any number of times up to a monetary limit. While there’s no time limit, this insurance type doesn’t typically include pre-existing conditions, including if the same condition develops elsewhere in your rabbit's body.
This option is most useful for rabbits with long-term illnesses and recurring conditions and is cheaper than lifetime coverage.
How much is rabbit insurance?
The cost of rabbit health insurance will vary depending on certain factors, including:
- Your pet’s age: Older rabbits will cost more to insure given the greater risk of illness.
- Whether they’re spayed/neutered: This reduces the risk of certain events, such as getting into a fight, or getting pregnant, which can lower your rabbit’s chance of injury and illness.
- Pre-existing conditions: If you can cover these at all, you may need to take out extra cover. This is because pre-existing conditions can be more likely to cause serious issues and heighten the risk of a claim.
- How much cover you need: Raising the coverage limit or choosing a more comprehensive policy will be more expensive.
- Where you live: The cost of vets in your area can impact your quoted price.
It’s a good idea to collect and compare quotes from different providers so you can find the cheapest deal for your rabbit.
What does rabbit insurance typically cover?
Comprehensive rabbit insurance policies typically include:
- Vet bills for injury or illness-related treatments, including visits, medication, diagnostic procedures, and even surgeries.
- Dental care for your pet, such as treating injuries to the mouth or dental diseases.
- Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, hydrotherapy, or herbal medicines.
- Chronic condition treatment to ensure your pet’s long-lasting illness is monitored and cared for (depending on what type of insurance you have purchased, as this won’t be covered in time-limited plans).
- Emergency care for your rabbit if you need overnight hospitalisation, or unexpected treatments and surgeries. This can be with a professional pet sitter or a friend (who may get a small stipend).
- Emergency boarding to cover the cost of using a professional pet sitter, boarding service, or a friend (who may get a small stipend) if you can't care for your pet in an emergency.
- Missing or stolen rabbit costs, such as expenses for advertising and rewards, or full or partial coverage of your rabbit's purchase price.
What does rabbit insurance typically not cover?
Most rabbit insurance policies won’t cover costs for:
- Pre-existing conditions, i.e. any illnesses that arose before the start date for the cover.
- Routine treatments, like vaccination, grooming, or spaying/neutering.
- Pregnancy and birth-related expenses, such as the birth itself or any conditions arising because of reproduction.
- Overseas coverage if you take your rabbit abroad.
You may also be unable to claim on certain conditions if you haven’t taken proper care of your rabbit—for example, if you haven’t had them vaccinated against common illnesses.
Rabbit insurance providers compared
Not all pet insurance providers cover rabbits, but there are still a number of options to pick from. We’ve selected some of the main players so you can get an overview of what’s available.
Everypaw | 4paws | RSPCA | Petplan | Sainsbury’s | |
Coverage | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime |
Vet bills coverage limit | £1,000, £2,000, or £3,000 | £2,000 | £1,000 | £4,000 | £2,000 |
Dental care | Included in total limit | Check policy | £1,000 | Check policy | £2,000 |
Missing/stolen pet | £750 | £250 | £250 | £250 | £250 |
Emergency boarding | £250 | £250 | Check policy | £250 | £250 |
Alternative therapies | £750 | Check policy | £500 | £750 | £750 |
Online claims process | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Vet direct payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Customer service | Live chat or video call with vet or nurse, plus Pet Portal app | 24/7 live video calls with vets | 24/7 vet live chat | Video chats with behaviour and nutrition experts and bereavement helpline | 24/7 access to Vet Assistance phoneline |
Price* | £344.28 | £201.69 | £209.52 | £266.16 | £230.64 |
Our expert score | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
*We sought quotes for a male lop dwarf rabbit, aged 3 years, with no pre-existing conditions. Price quoted is an annual premium.
Our verdict
Petplan’s rabbit insurance is great for its generous coverage, its £750 limit for therapies (including physiotherapy and acupuncture), and its inclusion of dental treatment. The cheapest overall quote was for 4paws, although RSPCA wasn’t far behind.
How to choose pet insurance for your rabbit
Consider these factors when choosing an insurance option for your rabbit:
- Coverage needs: Think about what type of insurance you need—e.g., lifetime, maximum benefit, or time-limited, and what your pet insurance covers based on your rabbit's age, breed, and health conditions.
- Excess and premiums: Ensure your plan's premiums and excess requirements are aligned with your budget.
- Claims process and claim response time: Look for providers that let you file claims online and check online reviews to learn how long they take to respond to claims.
- Provider’s reputation and customer reviews: Use reviews to check how responsive the company is, whether they pay for claims on time, and how easy it is to use the website.
- Customer service: Reviews can tell you more about a company’s customer service record, but you might also want to check how easily you can communicate with your insurer—online, through an app, by phone, etc.—and when they're available.
How to get cheaper insurance for your rabbit
Here are some ways to get cheaper pet insurance for your rabbits:
- Choose an accident-only insurance policy, unless you prefer to have coverage for illnesses.
- Raise your excess or out-of-pocket amount to reduce premiums, especially if your rabbit is relatively young and healthy.
- Pay annually rather than monthly for a better insurance price.
- If you have multiple pets, combine their coverage with multi-pet insurance.
- Spay/neuter your rabbit to benefit from cheaper quotes with some providers.
FAQs
Is rabbit insurance worth it?
This depends on your financial circumstances. Compare the cost of insurance vs. potential treatment costs, and consider whether you can pay the full cost of veterinary treatment if needed.
Rabbit insurance can prevent the stress of unexpected vet bills and provide peace of mind when you need to claim on pet insurance.
What voids pet insurance?
Not following policy rules can void your pet insurance. This could include failing to keep up with vaccinations, not declaring pre-existing conditions, or making fraudulent claims.
How does rabbit insurance work?
When you take out rabbit insurance, you pay a monthly or annual premium. When your rabbit is injured or ill, you'll need to pay an excess upfront and submit a claim. Your provider will reimburse the cost of treatment up to a specific limit based on your plan.