How do you feed your prickly pear?

[omgamylee]

One of my fantastic co-workers just gifted us several prickly pear cacti for the torts! We fed them their first prickly pear last night, by slicing off the "pricklies" and cutting it into strips. How do you prepare your prickly pear for your torts? Is there an easier/better way?

Thanks!

 

[wellington]

Easiest is to get the spineless kind. But when I don't have those, I hold it over the flame of my stove and burn them off. Then I will chop it into smaller pieces.

 

[Saleama]

I buy them from Kroger with the thorns already burnt off. For my Russians, I cut into strips about an inch wide and as long as the pad, for my Sullys and Leos, I dice into small itty bitty pieces that are about 2 - 3 times as long as they are wide. For the boxies, little cubes about 1/8 inch.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Well just a short story about 5 yrs ago I got a cacti with 3 in thorns I planted it in my leopard pen the first day they ate all the 3in thorns but what ever I still had the cacti the next day they ate the cacti
Right down to the ground I ask the vet and he said the thorns are fiber don't worry

 

[GotTort]

On a somewhat unrelated note, I purchased a spineless cactus plant from Carolina pet supply. I planted in my back yard in Phoenix. It is growing well but the new growth has spines! Has anyone experienced this or heard of this?


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[TigsMom]

Not sure if you're talking about the actual "Pears" of the Prickly Pear or the Pads of Opuntia/Nopales. I pick the Prickly Pears when they are deep Red/Purple using Tongs, Place them in a heavy Paper Sack (or disposable cotainer, like a large Margarine tub and shake vigorously, this will knock off alot of the spines. Then rinse them, still using tongs. Then rotate them over a candle flame to burn off any of the glochids (tiny hair spines). Then cut them in half for my Adult Tortoises, smaller torts or hatchlings get diced prickly pears. As for the pads, same process except the Adults get one half a pad each (not diced or sliced) and smaller tort get about 1/8 cup diced.

Hope this helps.