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Pet insurance for birds
It's possible to get bird insurance in Australia but your options are limited.
What is bird insurance and how does it work?
Pay for protection
Bird insurance is a type of specialist pet insurance that can help pay for vet bills if your bird gets in an accident or becomes ill. You generally pay a fortnightly or monthly premium to an insurer in exchange for this protection. Bird insurance is usually considered a form of exotic pet insurance.
Serve the waiting period
When you first take out bird insurance, you'll usually need to serve a waiting period for illnesses, typically around 21 days, but accidents are usually covered straight away.
Get paid if something goes wrong
Pet insurance will cover you for vet bills associated with accidents or illnesses, up to a specified amount per year. You'll often need to pay an excess (a contribution you pay whenever you make a claim).
What does bird insurance cover?
A typical bird insurance policy can cover you for:
Vet fees
For example, if your bird gets sick or injured, pet insurance can pay for all or some of the vet bills, depending on the cover you get.
Alternative or complementary treatments
Sometimes referred to as routine care, this can pay for physiotherapy, specialist referrals, diagnostic examinations and more. It can also sometimes cover advertising and reward (if your pet goes missing) and liability claims.
Take out pet insurance for your bird
Petcover is currently the only insurer in Australia offering pet insurance for birds.
Owning a bird is often a 5 to 10 year commitment. Depending on the bird you get, it can be longer. If you're bird is older, watch out for:
Age limits. Most insurers won't cover your bird if you try to take out a policy after they reach a certain age. However, if you buy a policy before they've reached that age, you'll be covered after it as well.
Pre-existing conditions. If your bird has any pre-existing conditions (an ailment your bird had before you bought a policy) you won't be covered for any issues related to that condition.
Frequently asked questions about bird insurance
Yes, but a traditional pet insurance policy probably won't cover you. This is because they are mainly tailored towards cats and dogs, not birds. To get bird pet insurance, you will likely need to get specialist pet insurance, often called exotic pet insurance.
Yes. You can get pet insurance for a number of different birds such as parrots, cockatoos, eagles, hawks, budgies and canaries. It can cover the cost of unexpected bills should your bird become ill or is injured.
Yes. In Australia, the only way you can get pet insurance for birds is by taking out exotic pet insurance cover. This is a specialist type of cover that can look after your bird should it get sick or injured.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
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