Feeding your bird strawberries

[DRB]

My Perjo seems to enjoy strawberries, which is funny b/c I personally don't, but I am finding they are a bit of a messy treat for birds. So, how you do you serve strawberries to you feathered friend?

So far I've sliced them up about 1/2-1/3 the size of an M&M, but since they are soft she doesn't eat them as efficiently or as neatly as things like dried peas and corn or a cracker. She tends to wiggle her head around and the strawberry slice goes flying, usually outside of the cage.

 

[Christinenc2000]

I just hand it over. To me feeding him Strawberry's is like feeding himpomegranate . I know I will have to clean up a big mess after

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I usually just chunk them into pieces she can hold in her foot since she likes "foot foods" and put a towel under her perch/cage to try to keep some of the mess contained, but I know I will be cleaning red off the walls and things after.

 

[Scott]

I am very careful and sparing with strawberries and seek locally grown organic varieties. AFAIK strawberries are often sprayed with several types of insecticides, and of course they impossible to scrub. Soak them for a while and rinse profusely!! So far no issues, but my concern is a gradual and ominous buildup of toxins within our little feathered friends!!

 

[chris-md]

I have to chop strawberries up fine along with most fruits or it gets tossed.

Let me tell you, those hand choppers where you bang the top always seemed useless to me. Have had one sitting around for a few years, never touched. I realized Parker only needs a single chunk of 3-4 types of fruit to make a full meal, so I now keep frozen mixed fruits on hand and used the chopper to mush them into an indistinguishable mash. This gets top dressed over whatever I'm feeding him and he gets his fruits. Works brilliantly!

 

[DexMom]

I have to chop strawberries up fine along with most fruits or it gets tossed.

Let me tell you, those hand choppers where you bang the top always seemed useless to me. Have had one sitting around for a few years, never touched. I realized Parker only needs a single chunk of 3-4 types of fruit to make a full meal, so I now keep frozen mixed fruits on hand and used the chopper to mush them into an indistinguishable mash. This gets top dressed over whatever I'm feeding him and he gets his fruits. Works brilliantly!

Chris, do you mean the "Slap Chop." One of the most classic infomercials ever!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKtBM99kAc"]Slap Chop (2 minute version) - YouTube[/ame]

Sorry to derail, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

 

[chris-md]

Essentially, yes. But mine is the cuisinart. Seriously don't know how I got along without it. Saves so much cutting time on small portions!

 

[DexMom]

I may have to go get one now!

For strawberries, I cut into 4 big hand-holdable chunks. If I put them in the dish in small bits, he tosses them out.

 

[chris-md]

I will say the frozen stuff doesn't stay as cleanly cubed as the video. It's definitely a mash when I'm done