Prickly pear cactus baby sulcata

newbieeesulcata

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Hi everyone! I have a young sulcata around like 9 or 10 months old. I am thinking about adding some prickly pear cactus into his diet but just wanted some input first. I am a little hesitant because of some things I read regarding oxalic acid and prickly pear cactus which was more of a concern for young sulcata. Would it be ok for him if given once in a while or is it best to wait until he's older? Thank you!
 

wellington

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Yes you can feed it. Remove spines and chop finely. Add as much different safe items as possible when young. Makes it easier to feed a big variety then when they are older, they are pickier. Add grass safe flowers and weeds too
 

Tom

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I feed it to mine from the time they hatch. Once or twice a week for babies in summer. I don't cut it up. I use tender young pads for the babies and let them bite off the right size chunks. This way they can never choke on the pieces and they can use the weight of the pad to pull against.
 

newbieeesulcata

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Unfortunately I can't find any younger pads ):
Maybe I'm not looking in the right places idk. Even the normal pads are hard to come by. I will cut them up but not too small so he can bite and break his own size off :)
Thx!
 

newbieeesulcata

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Yes you can feed it. Remove spines and chop finely. Add as much different safe items as possible when young. Makes it easier to feed a big variety then when they are older, they are pickier. Add grass safe flowers and weeds too
He gets mazuri, zoo med grassland, a variety of grocery store greens like kale, green lettuce, turnip greens, collard greens, and a few others. I'm also growing him this grass mix in my bathroom with some grow lights. I think the mix was from a cite called natureseed it was their tortoise mix and had like 8 different kinds of grasses in there. I pick dandelions when walking my dog for him as well :)
Edit: he also loves arugula!
 

Ben02

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He gets mazuri, zoo med grassland, a variety of grocery store greens like kale, green lettuce, turnip greens, collard greens, and a few others. I'm also growing him this grass mix in my bathroom with some grow lights. I think the mix was from a cite called natureseed it was their tortoise mix and had like 8 different kinds of grasses in there. I pick dandelions when walking my dog for him as well :)
Edit: he also loves arugula!
Good variety there, have you ever given him any pansy or aubretia flowers? Mine love em. Be careful not to buy them from garden centres as they most likely have chemicals on them. You can grow your own perhaps.
 

newbieeesulcata

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Good variety there, have you ever given him any pansy or aubretia flowers? Mine love em. Be careful not to buy them from garden centres as they most likely have chemicals on them. You can grow your own perhaps.
I've never tried those. I'll have to grow some and see how he likes them. I'll update this thread :)
 

RosemaryDW

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@newbieeesulcata,

I don’t know where in Los Angeles you are but if you are near any of the bigger farmers market or a farmers market that specializes in Chinese or Indian foods you may find some really good variety to add in.

If you do live near one, let me know and I’ll give you some food ideas. Also if you live near an Asian market: Chinese, Korean, random “Asian.”
 

Kmomzee

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I feed it to mine from the time they hatch. Once or twice a week for babies in summer. I don't cut it up. I use tender young pads for the babies and let them bite off the right size chunks. This way they can never choke on the pieces and they can use the weight of the pad to pull against.
Hi Tom,
I have a 3monthish possibly 4 month old sulcata and I just bought prickly pear cactus pads without the thorns. I’m wondering what the best way to feed it to my little guy. Can I not feed the big ones to him? I didn’t know when I bought them. They’re about the side of my hand added my water bottle in for reference. Are they too big? Sounds like you feed them smaller ones that aren’t as hard… I’d really like to not have these go to waste… but if it’s unsafe, I’ll hold off. But if there is a way to cut or prepare them that would be awesome. Thanks so much. Regards,
Kiera
 

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Tom

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Hi Tom,
I have a 3monthish possibly 4 month old sulcata and I just bought prickly pear cactus pads without the thorns. I’m wondering what the best way to feed it to my little guy. Can I not feed the big ones to him? I didn’t know when I bought them. They’re about the side of my hand added my water bottle in for reference. Are they too big? Sounds like you feed them smaller ones that aren’t as hard… I’d really like to not have these go to waste… but if it’s unsafe, I’ll hold off. But if there is a way to cut or prepare them that would be awesome. Thanks so much. Regards,
Kiera
You can just feed the whole pad to your tortoise, or you can slice off a large piece to feed him.

Keep the pads open to the air in a well ventilated place and they will last for months. Don't keep it in a bag or in a fridge.

Depending on where you got your tortoise, it may have never seen cactus before. It takes time to introduce tortoises to any new food, so don't be discouraged of the tortoise doesn't eat it right away. Keep trying.
 

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