# Can you get gerbil insurance?



## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

I know this might sound bizzare to some but I'm wondering if there are any companies that cater for gerbils. All I seem to find is cats and dogs.


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

No. Some rabbits can be insured, but not Gerbils.

Were you seriously thinking of it??


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

yeah because if I had to take them to the vet I'd have to pay out of pocket. Am I really that wierd? lol


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

I dont think a gerbil would cost much in vets fees.


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

You're better off putting some money aside every month to cover vets costs


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

Maiisiku said:


> yeah because if I had to take them to the vet I'd have to pay out of pocket. Am I really that wierd? lol


Weird isn't the word I would use, maybe just a bit mis guided.....

How much do you think a trip to the vets would cost?


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

Depends on what it's for. If it was to remove a tumor which rodants seem to frequently get then a lot.. But for a general check up under £50 so not much really. I was thinking more for the serious side of things not just the day to day stuff.


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

For a general check-up it would be more likely under £20 and possibly under £10, and even something like tumor removal wouldn't be very expensive  
I don't think insurance would really be worth it to be honest!


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

I wouldnt think operations on rodents were worth it!! due to short life spans,bad reactions to anaesthetics etc!


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

Maiisiku said:


> Depends on what it's for. If it was to remove a tumor which rodants seem to frequently get then a lot.. But for a general check up under £50 so not much really. I was thinking more for the serious side of things not just the day to day stuff.


If you can find a vet that will put a Gerbil under anesthetic to remove a tumour, then I will eat my hat.
Gerbils like all small mammals do not cope well under stressful conditions such as anesthetic, they will more than likely die on the table. A vet would advise you in this particular situation to keep the animals comfortable, until he would unfortunately have to be put to sleep, or will die naturally.

Gerbils live a couple of years and generally don't affect our lives like dogs and cats do.


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

Alright. Well thanks for letting me know.


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

do ya feel silly now??


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

Silly? No. Wierd and unuseral perhaps lol. But never mind.


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

MissG said:


> If you can find a vet that will put a Gerbil under anesthetic to remove a tumour, then I will eat my hat.
> Gerbils like all small mammals do not cope well under stressful conditions such as anesthetic, they will more than likely die on the table. A vet would advise you in this particular situation to keep the animals comfortable, until he would unfortunately have to be put to sleep, or will die naturally.
> 
> Gerbils live a couple of years and generally don't affect our lives like dogs and cats do.


First off, gerbils live 3-5 years and yeah, they do affect peoples lives like cats and dogs. Also, I have had hamsters and gerbils under the knife and i have never come across one thats died under anesthetic. I use 2 vets for my pets and all of them would rather operate on a gerbil than leaving it to die. Only if the animal is too weak will they reconsider putting an animal under.


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## cherrie_b (Dec 14, 2008)

I agree...I would be devastated if one of my hammies died...


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## carliz (Jan 27, 2009)

yes you can i think http://www.exoticdirect.co.uk/affiliates/phapet/terms.htm hope this helps


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

I saw that website but it quotes really high £160 a year!


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## MissG (Apr 18, 2008)

ChrisTheGerbilGuy said:


> First off, gerbils live 3-5 years and yeah, they do affect peoples lives like cats and dogs. Also, I have had hamsters and gerbils under the knife and i have never come across one thats died under anesthetic. I use 2 vets for my pets and all of them would rather operate on a gerbil than leaving it to die. Only if the animal is too weak will they reconsider putting an animal under.


OK, so maybe I should have put that they don't affect "most" peoples lives. LOL.

Than leave it to die? Not my choice of words, but OK.

I have never come across any vets (even whilst working at them) that would gladly put a small rodent under anesthetic. Some even refuse rats, even Guinea Pigs.

Anyway, the point I was trying to make was insurance companies don't normally offer insurance for a rodent who:
a) only lives a few years
b) is at high risk from any expensive treatment (because it would only be expensive treatment you would claim for yes?)

I wasn't asking for any life experiences, because they are few and far between.


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2009)

shortbackandsides said:


> I wouldnt think operations on rodents were worth it!! due to short life spans,bad reactions to anaesthetics etc!


If my G-Pig needed an operation I would do all I could for him...

just because they have a short life span (g-pigs actually dont, but eg; Hamsters/Gerbils) and bad reactions to anaesthetics, doesn't make them any less of deserving a chance at life in my opinion


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

RoseForTheDead said:


> If my G-Pig needed an operation I would do all I could for him...
> 
> just because they have a short life span (g-pigs actually dont, but eg; Hamsters/Gerbils) and bad reactions to anaesthetics, doesn't make them any less of deserving a chance at life in my opinion


That was just my opinion,personally i wouldnt


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2009)

shortbackandsides said:


> That was just my opinion,personally i wouldnt


Can I ask why though? If (like some people have said) the cost isn't that much... and if at the end of the op. the lil animal would be fine, and have a normal happy life - isn't it worth doing?


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

I think it's very worth doing in my opinion. Anesthetic is dangerous in any living creature including us humans, and if we deserve a chance to live, then so do our pets. 
I don't know what vets you have come across but having visited many vetinary practices across northan England, Southern Wales and most of scotland, i havn't yet come across one who won't put small animals under anesthetic.
If the animal isn't extremely weak and/or in extreme shock, the chances of a small animal waking up from being under is fairly high.


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## Midnight (Jan 17, 2009)

I wouldn"t insure my son"s 2 Gerbils Tom an Jerry we always put money by each week for vet bills, glad i didn"t insure really they are 3 and a years old now and NEVER had a problem think it would be throwing money away personally, same goes for my daughters hamster Max he"s nearly 3 years old and NEVER had a problem  And i would just like to say little animals effect your life just as much as bigger animals, my kids will be distraught when we loss them


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## ratz4eva (Jan 18, 2009)

I took my rat to the vets because he has lost a lot of weight and had a swollen purple foot. After the check and medication the bill came to just under £60 add that to food, treats, bedding, toys etc for the month and it can get expensive. I looked in to a couple of places for insurance but foung you're better off saving your money for the inevitable.

Also there is a vets near me who tried to operate on my gerbil Pepper to remove an absess and he died when coming round from the aneasthetic so sounds like they don't do to well and it could be a waste of your money and unnecessary stress.

Although gerbils or any other rodent may not live much longer than two years you still form a bound with that animal and learn its characteristics. You still want to do the best for them and you still get upset when they get ill and/or pass away. To insinuate that they somehow matter less just because their life span is shorter than that of a cat or dog is unfair. Some people are cat people, some are dog people and some like other animals or reptiles who mean just as much to them.


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## MatomyGerbil (Mar 5, 2012)

There is a lot of information on gerbil insurance at 
www.digexpert.com/info/gerbil_insurance.asp

Check it out - i hope it helps


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

i put money in a savings account every so often for my vet bills.


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## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

This thread is from 2009! :laugh:


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## DeadLee (Feb 22, 2012)

Sarah+Hammies said:


> This thread is from 2009! :laugh:


I read through the whole thread and didn't realise this  Even though my hamster will only live a couple of years I would still do all I can to save her or at the very least make her last days as comfortable as possible.


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## Crittery (May 2, 2011)

I realise this is an old thread that has been bumped - but just to add I've had two gerbils develop scent gland tumours and two successful operations to remove so far. Definately something I'd be prepared to do again.

First gerbil was 2 at age of operation and lived another 2.5 years - so to a reasonable age for a gerbil. Second gerbil still going strong a year later and is coming up for 3.

Lifespan is 3-5 so actually not that short-lived for a rodent. Gerbils are quite hardy creatures and I'm told by the vet that it is a fairly easily operation if you are confident with small animals. Trouble is too many people don't think it is 'worth' it. 

I wouldn't bother with insurance for a gerbil though as others have said, makes far more sense to save privately - and this is coming from someone who lives somewhere where vet bills are expensive!


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## yellowted (May 20, 2012)

MissG said:


> If you can find a vet that will put a Gerbil under anesthetic to remove a tumour, then I will eat my hat.
> Gerbils like all small mammals do not cope well under stressful conditions such as anesthetic, they will more than likely die on the table. A vet would advise you in this particular situation to keep the animals comfortable, until he would unfortunately have to be put to sleep, or will die naturally.
> 
> Gerbils live a couple of years and generally don't affect our lives like dogs and cats do.


you better get eating, my vet succesfully removed a cancerous tumour from my gerbils manly bits, by making him into a girl 

As for gerbils not affecting our lives, no matter how small the ones i love are, their passing will always affect me. Size is not a measure of love.

my gerbils have all lived into their fourth or fifth year, which is more like their natural life span, they only die sooner if not looked after and stimulated enough. these are very active inquisitive creatures who get bored, depressed, mourn the passing of a cage buddy and each have their own personality, most love a swim, I have had two who, when escaped, would return to me when they were called by name and some who seemed to know which children at the nursery needed a friend. (they were allowed to run freely among the toys on a large run of tables whilst the children played, they never nipped a single child and even tried footprint painting, which is how we found out they liked swimming! they cage trained themselves, so they hardly ever pooped or peed on the tables/toys.) these definitely affected many children and staff as well as myself both in their lives and passing.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

It doesn't matter if it's as small as an ant or as big as an elephant, or wether it's with you 5 years, 5 months or 5 days, if it has worked its way into your heart it means as much to you as any other pet would. It has a bond with you the same as any dog or cat and is as unique and individual in its own way as any person is. Being small does NOT make them insignificant or not important enough to try with. They deserve every bit of care and consideration as any larger pet would get. If you've gotten attatched to it it wil very much affect you, if they 'didn't affect peoples lives as much' it wouldn't hurt as much as it does to loose them.


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## jenniewrennie (Apr 2, 2014)

I realise this is quite an old thread but wanted to post my experience having stumbled across this thread while researching gerbil surgery. 

I took my 18 month old gerbil for his first ever vet visit this morning as he was bleeding profusely from his stomach (we thought he'd caught himself on a sharp corner or something). 

It transpired he had a growth on his tummy. Without question, the vet recommended surgery, which occurred this afternoon. They did warn us about the anaesthetic risk, but I am pleased to say that Scramble survived. 

My circumstances are not yet suitable for me to own a doggy but I have to say I was as upset and worried over Scrambles' surgery as I was when a relative of mine underwent one! No matter how small, pets are an important part of our lives and I was quite astounded to see someone implying gerbils don't affect people like cats and dogs do. I guess I will be able to compare feelings when I do have a doggy though!

I am delighted that the vet here in the UK gave Scramble the chance of a few more months with us as he brightens our every day.

Jennie (34, Macclesfield)


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## yellowted (May 20, 2012)

Vet4life in Teddington anesthetised my gerbil and performed a sex change to remove a tumour from his manly bits! In my experience a well cared for gerbil will live 4-5 years and no matter how long they live or how small they are they are still part of the fsmily and certainly do affect lives the same as any other pet would


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