Taking Parrots Busking

Hello!
I just thought I'd share something that my parrot and I do a lot. I also wondered if anyone else does or has seen anyone doing this before.

I play piano accordion in a three piece folk band and, when we go out to busk on the street, I always bring Rupee along. She likes to sit on the accordion (or on my head) and hum with the music. People come up to stroke her and talk to her and she is always super friendly with everyone. She has never bitten! I have her on an aviator harness but she is quite content to just sit with me - if I try to take her off the accordion for too long she gets upset and climbs back up. I think she likes the vibrations it makes through her feet!
She's very popular - we're even becoming quite well known locally as the parrot band

Anyway, here are some pictures. These were all taken by other people so I can't claim to own them.
This was when she was still quite young. I wanted to get her used to lots of people and cars and being outside early on.

And here is how she is now, at two years old. She a bit more into it in this picture, singing along!


If you've ever heard of parrots busking like this I'd love to hear about it!

Welcome to the forum.....Rupee sure looks like she's enjoying herself.....nice post.....

Fantastic! Good parrot / owner colour coordination there as well!

I'm a violin player myself and I have a galah coming to live with me next week, so I'm curious to see how she reacts to the violin. Might be a while before we're ready to go busking together though...

Now that's a real "Parrot Head". Reference to Jimmy Buffett.

Wonderful photos, beautiful bird.

LOVE it! What lovely photos!

Love it! Great pictures. Beautiful bird.

Welcome to the forum.

Those pictures are BEAUTIFUL, as is Rupee. STUNNING Eckie girl you've got there, and SO social! Love it!!!

If you have more pictures, I'm sure nobody would mind. :54:

Thank you all for the nice comments!
I managed to find a few more pictures.

We also take her to gigs occasionally, though not as often. She was amazing on this particular one - she decided to fly from me to the guitarist and back again during a song. Awesome bird.

This was taken a couple of months ago:

Because of all the attention she gets us we usually make a killing doing this. A couple of weeks ago we busked for two days and by the end I had enough to buy Rupee a brand new, enourmous macaw-size cage and a bunch of new toys! She's so spoiled. She loves coming out.

Very cool!!! You look like a corsair with your get up and the parrot on your shoulder?

How does she go to the bathroom though??

Thank you! My band likes to dress up.

I trained her first to go on command and then not to poo on me (it was a relief when she learned that!). Every couple of songs I hold her over the grass or the pavement and she does her business when I ask. She's always so good. She can't do this at gigs though so we only bring her to them if we're playing quite a short set and then she goes afterwards on a special perch I bring for her.
We always bring food and water for her as well, though usually she prefers to share whatever cheap sandwich I happen to buy!

She certainly is a beautiful Vosmaeri girl! Would you mind sharing the breeder's name?

Hahnzel loves to sing with us when we're rehearsing, but taking him to church for worship would be a bit distracting for everyone...

That is so cool!!!

Thank you all!

Sodakat, the breeders were called T&S parrots. They did an amazing job handrearing her and getting her used to the harness when she was young. They mainly bred African Greys. I'd give you a link to their website but I think they closed it down because they're retiring.

Dacombe said:

Thank you all!

Sodakat, the breeders were called T&S parrots. They did an amazing job handrearing her and getting her used to the harness when she was young. They mainly bred African Greys. I'd give you a link to their website but I think they closed it down because they're retiring.

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So wonderful to hear of special breeders. I hope they placed a couple of the Vos offspring with other dedicated breeders who will continue producing a few of this subspecies. There are few pure Vosmaeir Eclectus that produce young in aviculture from what I've seen. I've chatted with a European breeder who said they are actually rare there. I'm glad to know the UK has some! So many crosses now.

From what I recall I think they said the Greys were much easier to breed than the Eclectus. They had two pairs but only one produced offspring. I don't know what they're going to do with them now but I'm sure they'll be looked after! And yes, they are very difficult to find here! I've never seen another eclectus apart from Rupee's relatives, let alone any other breeder in this part of England!

I love the photos and the bird looks like an amazing companion. I'm sure she must love going along. That's great that she is so reliable with the potty training. I try to ask Gilbert to go before i hold him and he generally tries to do what i ask, but he is by no means 100%. (i bought a multipack of little towels and i drape a clean one over my shoulder, like someone burping a baby haha).
BTW i think the accordian is such a great instrument. Such a warm sound. I love it. I don't know anyone anymore who plays. I knew two people but they were both very old and have since passed away.