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Can I get health insurance for my rabbit or guinea pig in Germany?

In short

Can I get health insurance for my rabbit or guinea pig in Germany? Yes, a few insurers offer small pet plans. A young guinea pig costs about EUR 23 to 42 a month, a rabbit about EUR 30 to 65, often with an annual excess of EUR 250. For small animals your own savings pot is often cheaper than a policy.

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What it costs

Sample premiums for a young animal, health cover with an annual excess of EUR 250, including insurance tax.

Example	Typical range
Guinea pig, reimbursement up to EUR 3,000 a year	about EUR 23.40 a month
Guinea pig, no annual cap	about EUR 41.98 a month
Rabbit, reimbursement up to EUR 3,000 a year	about EUR 30.45 a month
Rabbit, no annual cap	about EUR 64.80 a month
Preventive add-on up to EUR 200 a year	about EUR 10.49 to 14.50 a month
Basic small pet health cover according to a comparison site	about EUR 13 to 16 a month per animal

Guide figures as of October 2026,

from a published tariff sheet (as of January 2026) and a comparison site.

Older animals and larger rabbit breeds cost more, and some plans rise by 3 percent each year.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Rabbit, molar correction under anaesthetic

How the fee adds up at twice the single rate, without medication. Next to it, what a policy with a EUR 3,000 annual cap costs.

Examination with advice, 2 × EUR 15.39	EUR 30.78
Inhalation anaesthetic, 2 × EUR 20.54	EUR 41.08
Molar correction, complicated, 2 × EUR 66.70	EUR 133.40
Fees for one treatment	EUR 205.26
Insurance per year, 12 × EUR 30.45	EUR 365.40
Annual excess	EUR 250

The policy only pays once your bills in a year exceed EUR 250. With one dental treatment a year you pay more with a policy than without. It starts to pay off from about three such treatments or one operation with a hospital stay.

What small pet health insurance pays

A health policy for small pets pays vet bills after illness or an accident: examination, medication, anaesthetic and surgery. Depending on the plan it reimburses up to 100 percent, capped at an annual amount such as EUR 3,000 or EUR 5,000, or with no cap at all.

Preventive care such as vaccinations, check ups or claw trimming is usually not in the basic cover. Add-ons exist for it, often capped at EUR 200 a year and with a share you pay on each bill.

For rabbits there are also surgery-only plans (OP-Versicherung) that pay only for operations, often with an annual limit around EUR 2,000 and a 20 percent share for you. The choice is small overall: many pet insurers in Germany do not cover rabbits or guinea pigs at all.

What German vets charge

Vets in Germany bill under the official fee schedule for vets (Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte, GOT). It sets a single rate for each service. A practice may charge one to three times that rate. In the out of hours emergency service at night, at weekends and on public holidays it is at least twice and up to four times the rate, plus an emergency fee of EUR 50.

For small mammals such as rabbits and guinea pigs the rates are lower than for dogs and cats. Bills grow through the anaesthetic, repeat treatments and the emergency service.

Service under the GOT, small mammals	Single rate	Triple rate
General examination with advice	EUR 15.39	EUR 46.17
Inhalation anaesthetic	EUR 20.54	EUR 61.62
Molar correction, complicated	EUR 66.70	EUR 200.10
Jaw abscess treatment, complicated	EUR 85.45	EUR 256.35
Castration, male	EUR 30.78	EUR 92.34
Removal of uterus and ovaries	EUR 92.18	EUR 276.54
Inpatient day, without treatment	EUR 12.57	EUR 37.71

Rabbits: teeth are the main risk

Rabbit teeth grow for life. If they are misaligned or wear down too little, spurs, inflammation and jaw abscesses follow. Treatment usually needs an anaesthetic and has to be repeated regularly for some animals.

Then there is the yearly vaccination, which can cost around EUR 70. It counts as preventive care and is only covered with a preventive add-on. A rabbit with known dental problems will usually not get a new policy, because pre-existing conditions are excluded.

Guinea pigs: small premium, small bills

There is no routine vaccination for guinea pigs, so preventive costs are low. An operation such as removing a tumour can cost around EUR 100, according to a comparison site.

Because GOT rates for small mammals are low, many bills stay below the annual excess of EUR 250. The policy then pays nothing. Only an operation with aftercare or several emergency visits in one year clearly exceeds the excess.

When you do not need a policy

Rabbits and guinea pigs live in groups, and every animal needs its own policy. With four guinea pigs you quickly pay over EUR 1,000 a year. If you put that amount aside each month instead, you can pay for most treatments yourself.

A policy makes more sense if you keep a single young rabbit, could not cope with a sudden bill of EUR 500 or more, and find a plan with no maximum entry age. You do not need separate liability cover for these animals: tame small pets are usually included in German personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht).

Step by step

Check that your animal is healthy: known dental or bladder problems are usually excluded.
Look for insurers that cover rabbits or guinea pigs at all and check the maximum entry age.
Choose the annual cap and excess: for small mammals a cap of EUR 3,000 is often enough.
Multiply the premium by the number of animals and compare it with a monthly savings pot.
For rabbits, check that dental treatment is expressly included.
Take out the policy while the animal is young, before the first findings are on file.

Checklist

Species expressly named in the plan
Dental treatment and jaw abscess included
Reimbursement above the single GOT rate and in the emergency service
Waiting period and maximum entry age known
Excess per year or per bill understood
Annual premium increase checked

Common mistakes

Calculating the premium for one animal when the group has four
Trying to insure a rabbit with known dental problems and then getting nothing back
Choosing an excess of EUR 250 although most bills stay below it
Assuming vaccinations are part of the basic cover

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is there surgery-only cover for rabbits?

Yes, some insurers offer surgery-only plans for rabbits.

They only pay for operations, not for other vet treatment.

How old can my rabbit be when I take out a policy?

Each plan sets its own rule.

Many have a maximum entry age,

but some plans accept animals from the first day of life with no upper limit.

Does the policy pay for the rabbit vaccination?

Only with a preventive add-on.

It costs extra, is often capped at EUR 200 a year and deducts a share from each bill.

Do I have to insure each guinea pig separately?

Yes, the premium applies per animal.

For a group, a monthly savings pot is often cheaper than several policies.

When does the policy start paying?

After the waiting period, usually about 30 days after the start.

Anything that happens before is not covered.

Are rabbits covered by liability insurance?

Usually yes, tame small pets are included in many personal liability policies in Germany.

You do not need separate pet owner liability as for a dog.

Sources

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