by Pajarita » Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:30 am
Well, I don't believe in chopping anything for them because I firmly believe that emulating their natural behavior is best (birds don't eat anything chopped in the wild). Berries, grapes and grape or cherry tomatoes are served whole while the apples, bananas, pears, mangoes, oranges, etc are offered in chunks large enough to be held in their 'hands'. Try eating whatever in front of him (or with him perched on your shoulder) and do not offer him any until he leans over toward your mouth or hand and, then, offer him the same fruit/veggie you are eating from but from the other side (so he doesn't get any bacteria from your mouth). And try leafy greens, quakers LOVE them. They prefer the crunchier stuff, like the heart of a Romaine - but no spinach ever!
As to freezing... well, yes, you can do it and it is true that freezing retains almost all the nutrients that were present at the time of freezing (but remember that, of all the forms -frozen, canned, fresh, freeze-dried- fresh produce has the lowest nutrition). The only problem you will have with it is that freezing destroys the walls of the cells so a fresh, nice, crispy fruit becomes very mushy after thawing.