A trapped badger bashing its way out of a shed and a pigeon causing £8,000 of damage to a home after flying down a chimney are among the most bizarre but successful claims that an insurance provider has seen in recent months.
In another incident, a snail chomped its way through £78 worth of carpet at the home of a 73-year-old man from Preston, according to RIAS, a specialist provider of insurance products for the over-50s.
The provider analysed successful claims from over 400,000 home insurance customers, made between September 2012 and October 2013, to find the most unusual, many of which involved children or animals.
They also included a grandfather from Guildford who was showing his baby grandson off on Skype, only for the child to vomit on the keyboard, costing over £400 of damage.
The provider also dealt with the case of a pigeon which flew into a house through its chimney, totting up £8,000 of damage to the carpet, ornaments and sofa.
In another case, a badger became locked in the shed of a 71-year-old woman in Bath. The animal then staged its escape by bashing a hole in the wall.
The weather was also the cause of some incidents. A 62-year-old man made a successful claim after a gust of wind blew his glasses off - and they were immediately run over by a car.
A 74-year-old man from Guildford also made a successful claim after a deer fell into his swimming pool.
Peter Corfield, managing director at RIAS said: "While we go out of our way to ensure that our homes and gardens are safe and secure, sometimes it's the most unlikely events that can end up causing real damage.
"Not all claims are straightforward and sometimes we do see some bizarre scenarios. Babies and animals are often the culprits."
Some examples include:
:: A badger was locked in the shed of a 71-year-old woman from Bath. It managed to bash a hole in the wall to escape.
:: After seeing a dog on the TV screen, a dog in Galashiels decided to jump into the screen after it.
:: A small child spilt a glass of Coke on his grandfather's laptop. Drying it with a hairdryer melted the keys, causing £239 worth of damage.
:: A snail ate £78 worth of carpet in the home of a 73-year-old man from Preston.
:: Gusty winds blew a 62-year-old's glasses off his face, which were then immediately run over by a car, resulting in £469 of damage.
:: A trapped squirrel in the garage of an 86-year-old woman from Exeter managed to crack a window and escape.
:: A grandfather in Guildford held his baby grandson up to show him off over Skype. The baby then threw up on the laptop, causing £437 worth of damage.
:: A pigeon fell down a chimney and flew into a house, with the total damage to the carpet, ornaments and sofa costing over £8,000.
:: A seven-month-old puppy in Cardiff took a one litre bottle of oil from the kitchen, dragged it to the living room and chewed it on the sofa, causing £953 worth of damage.
:: A deer fell into the swimming pool of a 74-year-old man from Guildford, damaging the cover.