# cactus with spines? sulcata



## argus333 (Mar 16, 2014)

anyone feed cactus with the spines on it i see it all the time at food store, i think my leopards ate this once or twice yrs. ago.


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## Tom (Mar 16, 2014)

Wild ones do it every day. Well not sulcatas, since there is no native cactus in Africa, but the new world ones do. I does not seem to hurt them, but I'm still afraid to risk it with my tortoises. I only feed de-spined or spineless.


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## JennBell0725 (Mar 16, 2014)

I feed the nopales with spines but I scrape them all off first. I feel like your question was if those were safe not if it was okay to feed with spines intact which I would say no too, but if the spines are removed they are great. Just trying to see if I was understanding correctly


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## T33's Torts (Mar 16, 2014)

My big boy eats them all.


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## argus333 (Mar 17, 2014)

ya i was thinking of giving them a scrape. i get the spines in my hand if i jus touch them amazing they can eat that. ill try some. my sullys are 12 to 15 inch.


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Mar 17, 2014)

Well about 4yrs ago I planted a cautus with 3inch thorns on it in my leopard torts enclosure . The first day they ate all of the thorns off , but I thought at least I still have the cautus the next day they ate it to the ground .


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## Saleama (Mar 17, 2014)

You can use a blow torch to get them off. It is way easier and gets the entire thorn off. Spineless is hard to come across in the stores and the ones on ebay and amazon are not cheap.


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## littleginsu (Mar 18, 2014)

See if you have a Mexican market close by, you maybe able to find spineless pads there.


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## Star-of-India (Nov 30, 2014)

Tom said:


> Wild ones do it every day. Well not sulcatas, since there is no native cactus in Africa, but the new world ones do. I does not seem to hurt them, but I'm still afraid to risk it with my tortoises. I only feed de-spined or spineless.


Although cacti are native to the Americas, cacti, especially opuntias of the nopales type, have been spread and naturalized around the world. So apparently they are a favored part of the diet of wild radiated tortoises in Madagascar for example. 

Doug


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## brandonhuston (Nov 19, 2017)

My sulcata is actually eating some now I pick the majority of the spines off but I don't think it matters cause he has eaten wild cactus grows where I am that has way more spines and it didn't hurt him


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