Which small pets can you keep and insure?

The pets that are allowed and common are above all rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, degus, chinchillas, ornamental birds and reptiles. Which species fits depends mainly on your daily routine: diurnal or nocturnal, group or solitary, children in the house or not. And because vet bills, calculated under the fee schedule for veterinarians (GOT), the nationwide fee regulation for veterinary services, quickly reach three figures, it is worth taking a look at small pet insurance.

Small pets you can keep in Germany

Yes: in Germany you may keep rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, mice, degus, chinchillas, ornamental birds and terrarium animals such as reptiles without any special permit. These species are considered the classic small pets — that is, small companion animals kept indoors which, unlike dogs or cats, usually do not require you to register them with your landlord. Which animals are a good fit in detail depends on space, daily routine and budget. So the answer to the question of which small pets you can keep is broad, but not unlimited: exotic species are subject to special rules, which we cover further below.

Just how widespread these little co-inhabitants are is shown by the pet market: in 2025, according to ZZF and IVH, around 4.4 million small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or mice lived in 5 percent of households in Germany.^[1] In addition, there were 3.3 million ornamental birds in 3 percent of households, as well as 2.1 million aquariums and 1 million terrariums.^[1]

• Rabbits and guinea pigs: the most common rodents, social group animals; guinea pigs are diurnal, rabbits active at dusk
• Hamsters, rats, mice, degus, chinchillas: rodents with very different activity times
• Ornamental birds: from budgerigar to parrot, partly relevant under species protection law
• Reptiles in the terrarium: lizards, snakes, turtles, partly with documentation requirements

Important upfront: not every small pet is automatically an easy companion animal. Reptiles, parrots and other exotic species are subject to species protection law, and some species may not be kept at all. You can read what this means for your choice in the section on the legal rules for exotics.

What species-appropriate keeping means in practice

The better question is not which small pets exist, but which ones fit your everyday life. Four criteria decide: social behavior, space requirements, diet and enrichment. Anyone who honestly checks these criteria before getting a pet avoids the most common mistakes — namely animals ending up in cages that are too small or kept alone.

The most important point is social behavior. Rabbits and guinea pigs are group animals and must not be kept alone — at least two animals are mandatory. Keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together, on the other hand, is controversial, because the two species have different body language and different needs. Hamsters are strict loners, while rats should be kept in groups of at least three, ideally in a pack of four or more.^[2]

• Social behavior: group animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and degus need companions of their own kind; hamsters must be kept alone
• Space requirements: guinea pigs need at least 2 square meters of floor-level space, a pair of rabbits permanently 4 to 6 square meters, plus daily exercise time^[3][4]
• Diet: hay around the clock, fresh vegetables daily, and guinea pigs need vitamin C
• Enrichment: tubes, boxes and climbing opportunities instead of an exercise ball, otherwise behavioral problems develop

The location of the enclosure matters too: drafts and intense sunlight are harmful, so the spot should be free of drafts and out of direct sun, with daily exercise time. When kept outdoors, enclosures need protection from birds of prey and shaded areas.^[5] And an honest word about responsibility: it lies solely with the adults, not with the children. Species-appropriate keeping is hardly compatible with a child's wish to cuddle and carry around an animal.

Diurnal or nocturnal: which small pet fits your daily routine

The question of activity patterns and the question of the right pet for children drive the same decision: you want an animal you and your children can actually experience in everyday life. Guinea pigs are mainly diurnal and vocal, rabbits are mostly active at dusk and therefore lively in the early morning and evening. Golden hamsters are predominantly nocturnal and must not be woken during the day, while chinchillas are mainly active at dusk and at night.^[6] If you want to watch a lively animal in the evening, a hamster or chinchilla is a good fit; if you want to see activity during the day, a guinea pig is more suitable.

For children, diurnal, calm animals that can be observed without being stressed are best suited. Children from about age 8 can help with feeding and cleaning the cage, but responsibility for the animal remains with the parents. An honest caveat belongs here: guinea pigs are purely observation animals — they do not like being stroked or picked up, squeal loudly, and need fresh vegetables daily and regular cage cleaning. A small pet is not a toy but a multi-year commitment that also incurs costs when the animal gets sick.

Keeping exotics: what to consider legally

The more exotic the animal, the stricter the rules. The Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the international agreement on protecting endangered animal and plant species, today classifies a large number of species into different protection levels.^[7] The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is the German enforcement authority for its implementation.^[7]

• When buying protected reptiles and birds, you need a valid CITES certificate or proof of captive breeding — without these papers you are committing an offence
• Some species may not be kept at all; keeping bans apply regardless of whether an insurance policy exists
• Damage caused by animals kept illegally is excluded by insurers, so the cover does not apply

In practical terms: ask the breeder or dealer actively for the papers before you buy, and keep them permanently. Anyone who acquires a protected species without documentation risks not only fines but also, in the event of a claim, the loss of any insurance cover. The rules also change constantly — new CITES trade regulations have recently come into force.^[7]

What the vet costs for small pets

Small pets are small — their bills do not have to be. Veterinarians bill according to the fee schedule for veterinarians (GOT), a legally binding regulation valid nationwide with fixed fee ranges. It does not set fixed prices; instead, depending on effort, difficulty and circumstances such as emergency service, it allows one to three times the base rate, on a sliding scale.^[8]

A worked example: a rabbit with a suspected tooth root infection receives a general examination (15.39 euros), an X-ray (26.03 euros) and an infusion (42.00 euros) — together, at the 1x rate net, roughly 83 euros (fee level 2026).^[9] If the vet charges double the rate due to effort or emergency service, the amount doubles accordingly. With surgery involving anaesthesia, follow-up treatment and medication, the bill quickly adds up to several hundred euros — and that can happen to an animal that was bought for under 50 euros.

This very discrepancy is why insurance cover for small pets is a topic at all. Treatment costs are independent of the animal's size — the GOT does not differentiate by the patient's weight. Anyone who does not want to cover these costs out of pocket should look early into what services a policy for rabbits, guinea pigs, birds or reptiles will pay for.

Insuring small pets: small pet insurance at a glance

Small pet insurance is a pet health insurance for small mammals, birds and reptiles. It reimburses the costs of medically necessary operations, treatments and follow-up care up to the agreed GOT maximum rate. Special conditions are included, such as egg binding — the difficulty or impossibility of laying eggs in female birds and reptiles — or malocclusion, a misalignment of the jaw or teeth. So the very conditions from the cost section above are the typical claim cases.

Just as honest is a look at the limits, because that is where it is decided whether a policy really pays out in an emergency:

• Sum insured: the maximum benefit is limited per insurance year to the agreed amount; you pay any higher bills yourself
• Deductible: if one was agreed, it is deducted per claim submission; all bills from one calendar day count as a single submission
• Waiting periods: 30 days in general, 6 months for special conditions and operations; no waiting period applies in the event of an accident (terms as of June 2025)
• Policyholder obligations: you must have recommended vaccinations and preventive measures carried out and keep the animals in a species-appropriate way; violations can lead to termination or loss of benefits

So the general rule is: small pet insurance is worthwhile as soon as the animal needs veterinary care and the treatment costs would fall on you personally. The decisive difference for your case is the species of animal and its risk of illness: rabbits with dental problems, birds and reptiles with egg binding, or rodents with acute emergencies need different coverage priorities. Whether your specific animal, with its age and history, will be accepted, and which tariff fits it, is something a general article like this cannot settle — that depends on the health declaration and the insurer's acceptance decision. And one note for context: tariffs, conditions and waiting periods change constantly; the concrete cover always depends on the chosen tariff and the contract documents, so check the current conditions before taking out a policy.

If this check shows that small pet insurance makes sense for your animal, it is worth taking a closer look at the small pet insurance from nextsure: there you will see tariffs for rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and reptiles with benefits, waiting periods and premiums compared directly.