amount/type of treats for training caique

[ali_and_birdie]

I'm struggling to figure out what exactly to feed my caique as a reward when I'm trying to teach her a trick.

I started with sunflower seeds because they're small, but the more I read the more I'm nervous that they're too high in fat... when I'm trying to teach her a trick I might end up giving her like 10-12 sunflower seeds in a session (never more than 1 session/day), and that seems like a really high volume for a little bird. That said, I can't think of anything that's a whole lot smaller... maybe I could try to crush an almond into small pieces? Or should I try non-food rewards (i.e. lots of praise) ? -- not sure that'll work now that she's had a taste of sunflower seeds
What have you all tried?

 

[Shezbug]

You can buy almonds in slivers and also often other nuts pre chopped (or chop them yourself ) I’ve used them and pine nuts. I’m not sure of the amount you could safely use for a caique though.

 

[AmyJas]

Maybe try cutting the sunflower seeds in half? If she’s young, I wouldn’t worry too much about it though. Young birds need a higher fat diet because they’re growing. As she grows, you can be more cautious.

 

[Irishj9]

I dont try trick training with mine, but I get them to be pretty amenable ( for a caique) by praising the beheaviours I like and making a big fuss.

Of course with babies its different. They're full of energy. I treat Num Nums by finger wrestling her or throwing her up in the air backwards

Attention is the best treat IMHO

 

[Tim]

When they were babies I used tiny pieces of walnut. Now I use safflower seed. They’re happy with that!