Prickly pear fruit

[hoshi]

I know Opuntia pads are a good staple diet for Stars. But, what about the prickly pear fruits? Is it OK to feed the fruits ? Has anyone fed their stars the fruits?

 

[cueboy007]

I feed my tortoises once a week, it's a very nutritious fruit, but my concern is it has too much sugar, so I restrict it to only once a week, and I mix it with Zoomed grassland tortoise pellets.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We do.

 

[tortoises101]

Not a ton of sugar compared to other fruits. Opuntia fruits are high in fibre and very nutritious as well. Not to be fed frequently, but definitely a great treat.

 

[bettinge]

I feed them several times a year! A real favorite. I believe there high in calcium as well as other benifits.

 

[dmarcus]

Definitely as a treat but not as a staple part of the diet..

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Batman:

In the wild, an opuntia will bloom (once a year), then form fruit. The fruit falls off pretty much all at the same time. If a tortoise is walking along in the desert and finds this wonderful gift, he's going to sit there and eat as much as he wants. He may even come back tomorrow and gorge again. But this only happens once a year. So, overdosing on cactus fruit really isn't a problem, but I wouldn't give it too often. Also, eating that much of it will cause runny stools.