# feeding prickly pears???



## erik77 (Jul 9, 2012)

how or how often can i feed my tort a prickly pear???and when i do feed them do i peel them for em or can he eat the little prickly stuff on them too??cause i know there kinda sweet so would it be like a snack???oh yeah and vitamins to dust the food with what would you guys recommend???like i know repashy makes an all in one cause thats what i dust my chameleons feeders with instead of rotating every week...thanks...oh yeah and can i feed it the cactus that it grows on???


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## ascott (Jul 9, 2012)

Torts can eat the cacti fruit without any help from us....HOWEVER, I would lightly scrape and or peel the outer pricks just to make sure I would not have a poked tort....just be careful how you handle the fruit..those little pricks sure do bug the skin.....I would only let them have the treat once or twice a week during the summer months...

I don't add calcium powders...so I do not have experience there--someone else here will likely be in to give you their advice on that 

The cacti pad itself is good also...again, I would scrape off the pricks if the cacti is not free of them....


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## cljohnson (Jul 10, 2012)

I would say you can feed as much of the cactus pads they want. They are very good for them and High in calcium. 
The fruit I would only give them maybe once a week as a treat. Tortoises don't process sugar very well and too much and cause damage to internal organs. 
I have a propane torch I use to quickly burn the spines off before I harvest. If you have a gas stove you could waive a pad over the burner with a pair of tongs for a few seconds.


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