Aussie Pythons and Snakes

snakegal · #1 11-Jul-06, 08:35 PM

I'm just wondering who would pay for insurance for their herps if it were available in Australia?

chaps76 · #2 11-Jul-06, 08:40 PM

It wouldn ,t b a bad idea if it were available!!!! But then again you cant insure your dog or cat,,, Can you ???????

MrBredli · #3 11-Jul-06, 08:42 PM

Quote:

But then again you cant insure your dog or cat,,, Can you ???????

I'm pretty sure you can.

Bombie · #4 11-Jul-06, 08:45 PM

i know you can insure your dog for vet bills if it is hit by a car etc. but i dont hink you can insure them for theft, death etc. - not that i am aware of anyway!
it would be great to be able to insure your herps, especially considering the value of some of them.
bombie

snakegal · #5 11-Jul-06, 09:00 PM

Yep, there's insurance for dogs and cats. But I also think it's mainly vet fees. I guess for herps more relevant than vet fees is theft, then death. Or maybe both are equivalent risks generally speaking.

Earthling · #6 11-Jul-06, 09:14 PM

there is insurance for dogs and cats incase of death. Unfortunately you dont get the money though....it goes to the pet cemetary for a 'decent' burial.

I have heard theft is happening a fair bit in the reptile department, however....does it really happen lots, or is it because when it does happen it gets put on reptile sites and everybody hears about it, but in reality its only a few cases per year. Any ideas?

AntaresiaLady · #7 11-Jul-06, 09:18 PM

I've heard that 'breeders' of dogs and cats with very expensive animals have gotten insurance for them in case they're knocked off.

Don't know if thats accurate- but it sounds plausible.

davidfbarnes · #8 11-Jul-06, 09:45 PM

The reason we can't get insurance on an individual basis is because of insurance companies reinsurance treaties. In a simple explanation, the insurance company that backs the insurance company won't back the coverage.

Insurance is always more attractive when you "bulk buy". ie, group purchase, set up a scheme, etc etc.

I'm fairly confident with purchasing power I could help set up an insurance scheme for reptiles, but it would need a lot of backing, and we would have to come to an agreement as to the cover provided. I highly doubt that vet bills would be paid, or if they were, there would be a high excess.

It could possibly be set up in a way that would generate a revenue stream to such society as VHS etc etc.

Thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

Ali · #9 11-Jul-06, 10:06 PM

u can get pet insurance for vet bills and stuff. wither through the RSPCA or AFS PetMed.
I have inquired through these places about other animals but only do cats and dogs! i would certainly get it if i could for my herps!

snakegal · #10 12-Jul-06, 09:55 AM

BUMP...

major · #11 12-Jul-06, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaps76

It wouldn ,t b a bad idea if it were available!!!! But then again you cant insure your dog or cat,,, Can you ???????

When i use to have show dogs i had them insured for death aswell as vet bills, when i did lose one of my imports, worth around the 10k mark i only got $900 back so after that i found it not worth while paying heaps of $$$ each month when it only covered around $1000 for each dog for the vet bills per year and $900 for a lose of life..but it might have changed now

snakegal · #12 12-Jul-06, 10:32 AM

Wow, thats pretty sucky! Dodgy as, thats like getting a $900 payout for a car worth $10k.

But what was the yearly insurance fee and excess like?

Quote:

Originally Posted by major

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaps76

It wouldn ,t b a bad idea if it were available!!!! But then again you cant insure your dog or cat,,, Can you ???????

When i use to have show dogs i had them insured for death aswell as vet bills, when i did lose one of my imports, worth around the 10k mark i only got $900 back so after that i found it not worth while paying heaps of $$$ each month when it only covered around $1000 for each dog for the vet bills per year and $900 for a lose of life..but it might have changed now

major · #13 12-Jul-06, 11:21 AM

it was about 7 years ago but if my memory is still intact it was around $40 a mnth for 2 dogs and i think you pay the 1st $100 of the vet bills... it was abit rich but i did save me money once when 1 of my bitches had pups

Magpie · #14 12-Jul-06, 11:33 AM

The whole point of insurance from the insurance companies point of view is to make money.
So when you have a very limited market insuring high value, high risk objects, such as reptiles, the cost of insurance is going to be vey high. I'd suggest they would be looking at 10-20% of the animals value per year.
So go 10 years without making a claim and you've spent the whole value of your animals for nothing, it would have been cheaper to replace the lot.
Honestly, I already pay house and contents, 2 fully comprehensive cars, 2 x life insurance premiums - there is no way I'd look at paying more to insure my reptiles, unless it was hell cheap, which it would not be.

Earthling · #15 12-Jul-06, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earthling

I have heard theft is happening a fair bit in the reptile department, however....does it really happen lots, or is it because when it does happen it gets put on reptile sites and everybody hears about it, but in reality its only a few cases per year. Any ideas?

I guess this was another stupid question!?

Has anybody got stats on how many reptile robberies there are each year in Australia? Or state?