# Nopal cactus pads



## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

So I'm looking to buy some for my young leopard and uromastyx. 

I see some on Amazon advertised as tortoise food for 5.95 a pound:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UYWCRK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Then some on eBay for 7.95 for 2 pounds:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220939758316&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

I notice that neither listing says "organic". Even though they're advertised for tortoises, would you trust either of these?

I'm seeing 1 pound of "organic" pads for sale at certain pet sites for $15. That seems a little high when I could get 4 pounds from the eBay seller for the same price.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 21, 2012)

I don't worry about "organic." If its fit for human consumption, your tortoise can eat it.


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## kurmaraja12 (Oct 21, 2012)

I just bought some from the Amazon seller. They sent me one big cactus pad. It was also 6 dollars for shipping, so the total was more like 11. It's nice cactus and I only really bought it just to see if it was economical, which it really isn't. 

Depending on where you live, sometimes nicer or gourmet fruit and vegetable markets have cactus pads and fruit really cheap. A place where I lived in Lansing, Michigan would sell a medium sized pad for 23 cents! I would also try a Mexican market our food store. While these cacti pads may not be truly organic, they are for cooking and therefore human consumption, and that's good enough for me. 

So I would call around you area and check markets. It might even be cheaper than the internet if you drove an hour to pick some up in a larger city.


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## DeanS (Oct 21, 2012)

The ebay seller has the spineless type...and the tortoises NEVER turn it down.


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## lynnedit (Oct 21, 2012)

Nice links! I see that you can get Nopal cactus powder on line as well.


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## mainey34 (Oct 21, 2012)

There are lots of places to buy it, why buy on eBay. Breeders sell it. I just am Leary about sellers on eBay, my opinion


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## Tom (Oct 21, 2012)

They sell it in most ethnic grocery stores. Anything like that near you?

They are really easy to grow in pots. I'm pretty sure Tyler from tortoisesupply.com sells them too. You can trust him.


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## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

I'll have to ask a Mexican friend at work about ethnic stores in the area. I know she puts "nopales" in her food but I think she gets the pickled kind in a jar. I thought they were string beans until I looked up nopales. 

The eBay seller has sold a lot and has positive feedback, so I may try him and plant some. I live in MD but in warmer months I see them in people's yards. I'll ask if any pesticides were used around it. The story seems to be his neighbor has big one in his yard that he wants to get rid of, so the seller is cutting it down and selling it little by little.


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## Tom (Oct 21, 2012)

The tender young pads are best for small tortoises and these have to be grown yourself. I've started many of them in pots. I bet they'd do fine for you there if you can get some starter pads.


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## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

I see tortoisesupply has them for 11.95 for 4 lbs., but I don't see an "add to cart" option. They must not be available. I tried getting Mazuri from that site before and thought the shipping to my area was on the high side. 

That's a little more than I need though. It would take forever for a 65 gram tortoise and a 8" uromastyx to eat 4 pounds of pads and they'd probably go bad. Or I'd have to look up some recipes and eat them myself.

But yeah I'll definitely try growing them. I don't imagine they'd survive a harsh winter outside? What kind of lighting would they need indoors?


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## DeanS (Oct 21, 2012)

For babies, I recommend www.rivenrock.com until you get your own grown...order Grade A or B...these are the tender pads...and you may wanna munch on these yourself...they are tasty! John grows the BEST organic nopales I've ever eaten! Oh yeah! There are NO NEEDLES NOR GLOCCHIDS WHATSOEVER!


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## Tom (Oct 21, 2012)

Tortus said:


> I see tortoisesupply has them for 11.95 for 4 lbs., but I don't see an "add to cart" option. They must not be available. I tried getting Mazuri from that site before and thought the shipping to my area was on the high side.
> 
> That's a little more than I need though. It would take forever for a 65 gram tortoise and a 8" uromastyx to eat 4 pounds of pads and they'd probably go bad. Or I'd have to look up some recipes and eat them myself.
> 
> But yeah I'll definitely try growing them. I don't imagine they'd survive a harsh winter outside? What kind of lighting would they need indoors?



If you keep them dry and somewhere "airy", they will last for months.

I have had good success growing plants indoors with regular florescent lighting, even cfls.


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## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

I have an empty 55 gallon aquarium with 65watt 10,000k full spectrum lights in the hood. I was going to use it for a turtle but I could probably grow some things in there.


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## TortoiseBoy1999 (Oct 21, 2012)

I get mine from Vallarta.


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## DeanS (Oct 21, 2012)

TortoiseBoy1999 said:


> I get mine from Vallarta.



Why?!?! To save a buck?!?! That crap from Vallarta is soaked in lemon juice...serving as a boric acid, of sorts...then soaked in water...and greatly diminishes any benefit fresh cactus would have!


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## TortoiseBoy1999 (Oct 21, 2012)

DeanS said:


> Why?!?! To save a buck?!?! That crap from Vallarta is soaked in lemon juice...serving as a boric acid, of sorts...then soaked in water...and greatly diminishes any benefit fresh cactus would have!



Well I didn't know! Where do you get your's?


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## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

Well I ordered some from the eBay seller at 7.95 for 2 pounds. I see he's since raised the price to 8.95. Maybe the supply is getting low...

I'll report on how it looks when it comes in.


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## DesertGrandma (Oct 21, 2012)

I have purchased these on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520

I was very happy with them for my tortoise babies because they are thin and tender. My intent was to propogate them. They grew very well for me, but the rabbits like them so well that they almost ate them all. So, if you want to plant these make sure they aren't accessible to rabbits and such.


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## Redstrike (Oct 21, 2012)

Sometimes you'll see people on the forum offering pads for free. I got a medium-sized priority mail box full last year from a forum member by simply paying the shipping cost ($12). I planted most of them in pots and they're growing great!

Poke around the for sale and bartering forums and see if anybody is offering any.


You could also put a thread up in our "wanted" forum to inquire about getting some from a forum member?


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## DeanS (Oct 21, 2012)

DesertGrandma said:


> I have purchased these on eBay
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520
> 
> I was very happy with them for my tortoise babies because they are thin and tender. My intent was to propogate them. They grew very well for me, but the rabbits like them so well that they almost ate them all. So, if you want to plant these make sure they aren't accessible to rabbits and such.



Joy is quite right! Doris is the BEST opuntia seller on ebay...she ALWAYS gives more than she offers...and it's the same species as the seller in LA offers...no needles and hardly any glocchids!


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## Tortus (Oct 21, 2012)

If this seller doesn't pan out I'll go with that next. He said it will be at least 2 pounds so we'll see.


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## Tortus (Oct 25, 2012)

Well I ordered from both Amazon and the guy on eBay just to see how they'd look. The Amazon one arrived today and this is what it looks like:







Like someone else said it's just one big pad and it weighs over 24 ounces. So that's half a pound more than advertised. It's firm and the spines have been removed.

So what's the best way to store it? I've heard in a brown paper bag on the counter, and I've heard to refrigerate it. Also, would this pad be good for planting? It's cut at a pretty sharp angle.

Another question. If I decide to use this one instead of plant it, what's the best way to start cutting so it stays fresh? From the bottom up I assume?


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## Tortus (Oct 26, 2012)

Ah, so no one knows. I'll just chop the sucker up and put it in the fridge.


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## kurmaraja12 (Oct 26, 2012)

I cut thin strips off of mine and kept the rest in the refrigerator


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## Moozillion (Oct 26, 2012)

I bought a single spineless cactus pad already started with plenty of roots so I could grow my own. This one cost me $14.95 from Carolina Pet Supply. It came with very clear instructions and after not quite 2 weeks it's already sprouting 2 little flower buds! I'm very pleased.


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## Tortus (Oct 27, 2012)

Moozilion said:


> I bought a single spineless cactus pad already started with plenty of roots so I could grow my own. This one cost me $14.95 from Carolina Pet Supply. It came with very clear instructions and after not quite 2 weeks it's already sprouting 2 little flower buds! I'm very pleased.



That's cool. Did you plant it outside or indoors?

The eBay cactus arrived yesterday. 34 ounces, 8 pads total. They have a little scarring here and there but it's just superficial. They're smaller and thinner than the Amazon cactus, also dethorned. These look freshly plucked from the mother plant and would probably root well, so I'll think I'll try the biggest one.


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## kurmaraja12 (Nov 6, 2012)

Just bought about 7lbs last week from a local fruit market for less than 10 dollars.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Nov 6, 2012)

We've got a small produce market in town that sells the pads for $1.54 a pound. They also have huge aloe leaves at $2.50 a pound.




Cowboy_Ken said:


> We've got a small produce market in town that sells the pads for $1.54 a pound. They also have huge aloe leaves at $2.50 a pound.



And it's good they sell aloe, my wife isn't happy when I eyeball the one she has growing.


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## DeanS (Nov 7, 2012)

DesertGrandma said:


> I have purchased these on eBay
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520
> 
> I was very happy with them for my tortoise babies because they are thin and tender. My intent was to propogate them. They grew very well for me, but the rabbits like them so well that they almost ate them all. So, if you want to plant these make sure they aren't accessible to rabbits and such.



She's the best...and these have NO spines!


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## Moozillion (Nov 7, 2012)

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this thread. I planted mine in a pot outside, but I live in south Louisiana where we have a 50:50 chance of being comfortable outside in shorts and tee shirts on Christmas Day!


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## noved32 (Nov 7, 2012)

kurmaraja12 said:


> I just bought some from the Amazon seller. They sent me one big cactus pad. It was also 6 dollars for shipping, so the total was more like 11. It's nice cactus and I only really bought it just to see if it was economical, which it really isn't.
> 
> Depending on where you live, sometimes nicer or gourmet fruit and vegetable markets have cactus pads and fruit really cheap. A place where I lived in Lansing, Michigan would sell a medium sized pad for 23 cents! I would also try a Mexican market our food store. While these cacti pads may not be truly organic, they are for cooking and therefore human consumption, and that's good enough for me.
> 
> So I would call around you area and check markets. It might even be cheaper than the internet if you drove an hour to pick some up in a larger city.




Is the place your talking about in Lansing called Horrocks? I love that place!!! I'm just down the road from you in Flint, Mi. What kind of tort do you have? It's always nice to find people that are near you..on thing that min tort (a Russian) loves from Horrocks is the prickly pear fruit!


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## kurmaraja12 (Nov 10, 2012)

noved32 said:


> Is the place your talking about in Lansing called Horrocks? I love that place!!! I'm just down the road from you in Flint, Mi. What kind of tort do you have? It's always nice to find people that are near you..on thing that min tort (a Russian) loves from Horrocks is the prickly pear fruit!



Yep! That's the place, I got the fruit too  I have a two year oldish sulcata.


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## Tortus (Dec 1, 2012)

I planted a few of the pads I got from eBay since they began to shrivel and warp. They're now growing this on top:






What exactly is this? Is it going to be a flower or a fruit or a new pad?


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## Cowboy_Ken (Dec 1, 2012)

Those look like little pads starting to grow! As for fruit or flowers, first you would have a flower, then you would have a fruit. I'm not sure if cactus have male and female flowers. If they do, the female flowers would be from where the fruit comes.


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## Tim/Robin (Dec 1, 2012)

We have a monthly subscription to www.rivenrock.com. We get it shipped fresh every month! The tortoises and Uros love it.


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