# Is there a way to train without treats?



## 4Blueberry (Feb 12, 2019)

I have my little Blueberry for almost 5 weeks now and we have made progress. As I have said before, he was hand tame on his third day, even though I was not really looking for that. He is not at all afraid of me and almost treats me as an old room mate that he basically can ignore. He will get on my finger at any time during the day but in the evening he will bite me if I put my finger in his cage, so I respect his privacy and leave him alone then. 

Now he has progressed to the point that he will stay with me in every room of the house, providing I don't get too near the cage. If I do, he will fly to it. He definitely makes it known to me that he would rather be with his cage then me, or on top of his cage or on his patio perch. I have built several perches for him and he will go on all of them and remain there and not move and that is my problem with him. He will remain where ever he is, whether it is on one of his perches or on top of the cage or on my finger but he will not interact either with me or his toys. He will eat from my hand when he feels like it but it does not endear me to him. So, to try to increase the bond between us I thought it would be good to teach him to do tricks but since he will only take food from me if he is in the mood, I can't use food as a reward. All the articles, including the ones on this site talk about clicker training and using treats, but if I can't use treats how can I train him to do anything? I want to find a way to mentally stimulate him and also give him exercise but it is very difficult with a bird who does not seem to interact with anything at all, not even his toys with mirrors on them. He seems to have figured out that the birds in those toys are not real. In general he seems happy as he is very noisy in the morning and lots of times he sings to himself but I really think he needs more to his life then just standing around all day. Is there any way I can stimulate him and teach him anything? Tameness is not the issue. I can't imagine him being more tame and I can tell he trusts me and he definitely tells me off if I annoy him, but I really do want to create a bond between us and so far I feel like an annoyance to him rather than a friend.


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

I always found treats as rewards the most effective way to work with my bird's. Seem's their appetites for something really good helps them overcome discomfort and even fear. Your description's of blueberry's behavior and the relatively short time you have had him, sound's like he is not as tame/comfortable as you may be giving him credit for. Like people, bird's all have different personality and behavior's. Is he young ? Young bird's can be less aggressive in fending off unwanted contact but nonetheless still be uncomfortable. I think you have made great progress and you and your bird have great potential to be close bud's, but if you rush it you risk setback's to his level of trust and comfort with you. Spend some more time letting him get comfortable before you try training. Check out our training and bonding section and do some reading there, and it will benefit you and blueberry greatly...:001_smile:


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