Pet insurance for birds

There is only one provider in Australia who provides pet insurance for birds. Read on for what it can cover.

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Peta Taylor's headshot

By

Gary Ross Hunter

&

Peta Taylor

Edited by

Joelle Grubb

Updated

Fact checked
4.7 based on 825 reviews

Key takeaways

  • Only Petcover provides insurance for birds.
  • Pet insurance for birds can cover vet fees, a range of treatments, referral hospital or specialist vet and more.
  • There are waiting periods before your cover takes effect.

How does bird insurance work?

You pay a premium. You can do this in a single annual payment or monthly payments.
Serve the waiting period. Petcover has a 21 day waiting period for injuries, accidents and illnesses.
Get paid if something goes wrong, less your excess.

What does bird insurance cover?

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. It can cover the following:

  • Vet fees for injuries, accidents or illnesses
  • Alternative or complementary treatments. E.g. osteopathy, acupuncture
  • Advertising and reward. E.g. if your bird is stolen and you need to offer up a reward to get it back
  • Third party liability. E.g. if your pet destroys someone's property, this covers you for the cost of that
  • Referral hospital or specialised vet. E.g. if your pet is referred to a specialist for treatment
  • Diagnostic examinations. E.g. MRI, CT or CAT scans
  • Loss if your bird does not return while flying. This is an optional extra only.

Limits and exclusions will apply, be sure to read the product disclosure statement (PDS).

What does bird insurance not cover?

As with any insurance policy, there are exclusions to be aware of.

  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Accidents or injuries that occur during the first 3 days of cover
  • Illnesses which start during the first 7 days of cover
  • Birds that are under 12 weeks old or over 25 years old
  • Routine or preventative treatment
  • Elective surgery or treatment
  • Injury or illness caused by you, your other pets or a pet visiting your home
  • Birds being used for commercial purposes, unless agreed to by the insurer during your quotation
  • Anything relating to polytetrafluoroethylene fumes
  • Injuries from vermin
  • Malicious acts or negligence by you
  • Statutory quarantine
  • Pandemic or epidemic disease

+more. Be sure to read the exclusions in the PDS to fully understand what is and isn't covered.

FAQs

Sources

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Joelle Grubb as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 559 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living
Peta Taylor's headshot
Co-written by

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio

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