# I defeated the prickly pear. I'll share my secret.



## Missy (May 24, 2011)

Ok prickly pear de-thorning is a pain in the butt. Even when I singe the little buggers off there are some still left. Maybe I am being to picky but those things hurt when they get in my finger so I don't want them in my torts mouth. Anyway I used a strawberry huller and just cut out a small area around the bunch of tiny thorns. Works great and took less time than anything else I have tried. I have ordered thornless prickly pear and hope to get that growing for the future. TTFN


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## dmarcus (May 24, 2011)

which type of strawberry huller are you using? I know that there are several different types out there...


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## Missy (May 24, 2011)

Pampered chef. It is like a small melon baller only it has a jagged edge and is sharp. Works great.


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## dmarcus (May 24, 2011)

Okay very cool...


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## OllieInAZ (May 24, 2011)

I use coarse sandpaper. Burning them off just doesn't seem to do a thorough job.


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## dmarcus (May 24, 2011)

I just use a sharp knife and scrap them off, just waiting on my spineless one to take off, they make things so much easier..


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## Mao Senpai (May 24, 2011)

I use a sponge.. that I don't use for anything else but the purpose of rubbing the spines off... seems to work ok. But the nopal cactus I've been ordering has little to no spines so I'm not too worried about it now.


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## ALDABRAMAN (May 25, 2011)




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## OperaticAddict (Jun 12, 2011)

*
I'll tell you a funny story...only funny looking back. It's a little hard to get Prickly Pear here in NYC & when you do it's a bit expensive. I saw an add with a picture of a gorgeous Purple Prickly Pear variety & ordered some with he intention of growing it in my small two bedroom for my Indian Star as a treat. When I got the package & opened it up to pull out the contents I let out a yell that had the neighbors knocking on my door to see if I was alright. The seller had just snipped these two huge pads from the opuntia & just lightly wrapped them *in a sheet of newspaper. When I picked up the paper they fell out embedding thousands of spines in my hands & littering them all over the apartment. It took me weeks & weeks to get them all out of my hands & I still cautiously wear sandals around the house. On a good note the opuntia is gorgeous & my Star loves it.


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## TortieLuver (Jun 12, 2011)

It's nice hear because I just have to walk outside and I have all you want spineless cactus for my torts, but my friend in NY says he pays $2.50 for one pad to feed his torts...that's expensive.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Jun 13, 2011)

TortieLuver said:


> It's nice hear because I just have to walk outside and I have all you want spineless cactus for my torts, but my friend in NY says he pays $2.50 for one pad to feed his torts...that's expensive.



A Hispanic market not too far from here has largish spineless pads for $.25 per...been buying those, so as to not use up the ones I've growing in my front yard until they become larger.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Oct 25, 2011)

Further thoughts...wild tortoises (you know, the ones we can't spoil rotten ) eat cactus w/ the spines_ still attached _and never have problems...


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## dmarcus (Oct 25, 2011)

Terry, my large sulcata knocked over a few brick that seperated him from our garden area, then we ravaged several cactus that had tones of spines on them. I was upset and suprised that the spines didn't cause him to stop eating them.


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## Turtulas-Len (Oct 25, 2011)

When I feed the larger tortoises I only remove the long spines, mainly so an eye doesn't get poked,and when I hand feed(Walkers favorite) I get impaled with little spines just holding the pads,I don't know how the do it.


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## Jacqui (Oct 25, 2011)

Me either, Len. I think I am a magnet for those little tiny spines. If I come with in about five feet of a cactus or an area where they have been, they magically find their way into my hands and arms. Then they remain there, no matter what method I try to get them out.


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## jackrat (Oct 25, 2011)

I use the singe and scrubpad method.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Oct 25, 2011)

dalano73 said:


> Terry, my large sulcata knocked over a few brick that seperated him from our garden area, then we ravaged several cactus that had tones of spines on them. I was upset and suprised that the spines didn't cause him to stop eating them.



Their tongues have adapted to being VERY, VERY tough...almost bullet-proof! 

I had one of these out in my cactus garden, eith needles you could literally darn socks with:





Apollonia, my smallest female, while they were out of their enclosure, found her way to it and literally chewed her way through the base like a little beaver in about 45 minutes!


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## dmarcus (Oct 25, 2011)

Iv'e also noticed that when Vegas eats cactus that he will salivate heavily and coat the cactus as he his eating it. It's very sticky, I wonder if this is a way to coat the little pricklies...


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## Terry Allan Hall (Oct 25, 2011)

dalano73 said:


> Iv'e also noticed that when Vegas eats cactus that he will salivate heavily and coat the cactus as he his eating it. It's very sticky, I wonder if this is a way to coat the little pricklies...



Sounds reasonable...next time I feed my 4 cactus I'll watch and see if they do, too.


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## DesertGrandma (Oct 26, 2011)

The inside of the cactus pad is very sticky and slimy. Maybe that coats it and makes it go down easily???


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## dmarcus (Oct 26, 2011)

DesertGrandma said:


> The inside of the cactus pad is very sticky and slimy. Maybe that coats it and makes it go down easily???



Very good point Joy...


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## Terry Allan Hall (Oct 26, 2011)

DesertGrandma said:


> The inside of the cactus pad is very sticky and slimy. Maybe that coats it and makes it go down easily???



That's true...everytime I chop up a pad, I get that goop all over my hands...

Primarily, I think the torts can eat cactus because of how tough their tongues are.


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## russianhenry (Nov 6, 2011)

You can also burn the thorns off with a blow torch, thats what we do


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