Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was hoping someone could tell me if it is possible to insure snakes. Any information regarding this and any other business related issues would be appreciated (if you're going to be breeding and selling offspring, what expenses can you write off? what must be done before you can take write offs? etc.) Basically, if one was to start a breeding colony of a high end morph (like albino bloods), what would be the best way to go about it? (what ratio do you think would give the best chance of success with the fewest animals possible? multiple males? can males breed more than one female? start off with hets or morphs? which would give quickest return on your investment?)
Again, any info is appreciated. Thanks.

Only company I have heard of that will insure snakes is
Loyds of London, and it's very expensive. (no idea how much,
just what I have been told)
-April
(working at Farmers)

If you have homeowners insurance, I would strongly caution you not to make any inquiries to your present carrier or agent about insurance for snakes. You might find yourself with a cancelled or non-renewed policy.

I do presentations for the local school system and did some research on this. I finally found a company that has liability policies for snake presentations but they may have policies for insuring actual snakes. The company is:

DeSimone & Whelihan Insurance Agency Inc.
186b Union Ave.
Framingham, Ma 01702

1-800-698-AUTO
1-508-620-0777
1-508-620-0053 (FAX)

When you call for an estimate they will ask you for the number of snakes you have and will also ask for the names of each type of snake (you don't need to know scientific names, just the common names). The name of the agent I went through is Ralph F. Whelihan III. Hopefully they have what your looking for. Take care, Scott.
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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

Right. The herpetological society of which I’m a member carries liability insurance for the educational shows we do. I believe it provides for coverage of one million dollars per occurrence. We’ve never had a claim in the over 25 years I’ve been involved, but our premiums have definitely increased over the years! I think this kind of coverage is fairly easy to get now, although there have been times when it was not.

The situation I mentioned in the post above referred to cases I’ve heard of where people have looked into the possibility of covering their animals against loss, perhaps through a rider to their homeowners policy, with unfortunate consequences.

As has been mentioned. Don't talk to your homeowners carrier. I have two friends that lost their homeowners when the company learned they had reptiles. The excuses were that the exotic pets were dangerous. And one of these guys does educational shows with his animals.
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Sonya

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