Insurance

[Saravp]

Recently my sweet ferret Dusty died from rat poisoning and as we didn't have the money to pay $20 000 upfront, we couldn't afford to pay for his treatment. This broke my heart, not only did he die, but he died because we couldnt afford to pay. By doing so, we were kind of putting a price on his life, something that in the perfect world, should be priceless.

I have been saving up for a pet bird for pretty much my entire life, but after going through that, i am not sure if i still want to. The risk of something happening and we can't save them is too large for me to take without taking extra precaution. If we got bird insurance would they cover at least some of the cost of emergencies? I know some insurances are a sham and refuse to pay when the time comes. Could you recommend any insurances that you know from personal experiences that cover some costs well?

 

[texsize]

I think they have insurance for birds in the U.K.
I don’t personally know of any in the U.S.
It would help others answer if we knew where about in the world you are located.

I am very sorry you lost your ferret.
I always thought they would make a cool pet.

 

[Saravp]

I think they have insurance for birds in the U.K.
I don’t personally know of any in the U.S.
It would help others answer if we knew where about in the world you are located.

I am very sorry you lost your ferret.
I always thought they would make a cool pet.

Yes sorry, forgot to mention, i am in Australia
Thanks

 

[clark_conure]

I don't think any american insurance company would underwrite a pet bird. If it did it would be under the umbrella of like maybe a fire/flood in your home owners insurance.

As far as Australia....I'm sure it would be about the same.

 

[LaManuka]

Yes sorry, forgot to mention, i am in Australia
Thanks

I live in Brisbane and I am 99.99999% sure I've seen signage at my bird vet's clinic about insurance, though i don't have it myself and cannot for the life of me remember which company it's through. Perhaps if you contact a bird vet in your location they might be able to recommend one that they deal with?

 

[Saravp]

I live in Brisbane and I am 99.99999% sure I've seen signage at my bird vet's clinic about insurance, though i don't have it myself and cannot for the life of me remember which company it's through. Perhaps if you contact a bird vet in your location they might be able to recommend one that they deal with?

Oh good idea! I'll do that. Thanks for the tip

 

[Saravp]

I don't think any american insurance company would underwrite a pet bird. If it did it would be under the umbrella of like maybe a fire/flood in your home owners insurance.

As far as Australia....I'm sure it would be about the same.

There are some companies that do here.

 

[SailBoat]

Very sorry for your loss!

You are aware that Ferrets have a very short life expectancy and with insurance, the coverage would be very limited.

As stated, you are must better to start with your Vet Clinic and see who they accept and whether they have a plan to off-set by pre-paying for care.

It is very important to understand that Insurance companies are by design, defined as a high-profit businesses. With the exception of the first few years, you would be much further ahead by placing that monthly payment into a savings account. The insurance company is betting that your pet lives long and dies quickly and that your pet uses little to none of the amount you have paid. As a result, what they cover is highly limited.

The same is true for Auto Repair Insurance.

 

[Saravp]

Very sorry for your loss!

You are aware that Ferrets have a very short life expectancy and with insurance, the coverage would be very limited.

As stated, you are must better to start with your Vet Clinic and see who they accept and whether they have a plan to off-set by pre-paying for care.

It is very important to understand that Insurance companies are by design, defined as a high-profit businesses. With the exception of the first few years, you would be much further ahead by placing that monthly payment into a savings account. The insurance company is betting that your pet lives long and dies quickly and that your pet uses little to none of the amount you have paid. As a result, what they cover is highly limited.

The same is true for Auto Repair Insurance.

Thanks,
Yes i am aware, but it is not insurance for a ferret that i am looking into, its insurance for a bird.
Yes, but for me personally, i would rather rest assured that if (god forbid) anything happened it would be covered.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

Thanks,
Yes i am aware, but it is not insurance for a ferret that i am looking into, its insurance for a bird.
Yes, but for me personally, i would rather rest assured that if (god forbid) anything happened it would be covered.

I had insurance for my birds for over a year but I realised I was wasting my money in the end so now I put aside some money in a savings account each month to cover them instead. I had to get a separate one for each of my birds, which was expensive if you're paying out monthly, and they ask the species, identifiable markings etc. as well so you can't just get one and have it cover them all. The insurance would only pay out up to a certain amount too, so if it came to more than that I would have to pay myself anyway. Plus it only covers certain things, and is far more expensive the more you want it to cover. I haven't needed to take any of mine to the vet in the three years I've had them (my vet checked them when I first got them and then said only bring them if there's something wrong, and she went above and beyond to help me with them so I trust her), so I would have wasted my money if I'd have kept the insurance.

 

[Saravp]

I had insurance for my birds for over a year but I realised I was wasting my money in the end so now I put aside some money in a savings account each month to cover them instead. I had to get a separate one for each of my birds, which was expensive if you're paying out monthly, and they ask the species, identifiable markings etc. as well so you can't just get one and have it cover them all. The insurance would only pay out up to a certain amount too, so if it came to more than that I would have to pay myself anyway. Plus it only covers certain things, and is far more expensive the more you want it to cover. I haven't needed to take any of mine to the vet in the three years I've had them (my vet checked them when I first got them and then said only bring them if there's something wrong, and she went above and beyond to help me with them so I trust her), so I would have wasted my money if I'd have kept the insurance.

There's too much risk that i would have to spend more money than i have and im not willing to take the chance

 

[SailBoat]

Thanks,
Yes i am aware, but it is not insurance for a ferret that i am looking into, its insurance for a bird.
Yes, but for me personally, i would rather rest assured that if (god forbid) anything happened it would be covered.

Yes, I understood that and my response was targeted toward Parrots.
Start at your Avian Vet First!

 

[Saravp]

Yes, I understood that and my response was targeted toward Parrots.
Start at your Avian Vet First!

Ok, thanks