Stars Eating Cactus Pads

N

no one

Guest
Yes I would!! If only you could send them my way... Lol
They look so good and cute and adorable!! *sigh*
 

horse

New Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
Look great Tom. My Burmese star is doing great thanks to your advice. Not sure Im ready for two. Mine is eating from my hand and loves the cactus.
 

wccmog10

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
209
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
Man those tortoises look good! Someday... someday... And it is you I will be calling @Tom when that day comes.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
beautiful @Tom which kind of substrate is this ? dont you remove spines from opuntia ?
The substrate is fine grade orchid bark.

I do try to remove most of the spines for babies, but it really isn't necessary. The spines from "spineless" opuntia are no problem for any tortoise species.
 

dsgncore

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2018
Messages
80
Location (City and/or State)
Jakarta
My rf and indian star wont eat cactus pads. Any advice? They are still babies though. I've tried by cutting them into tiny pieces and they still wont touch them.
 

TriciaStringer

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Messages
1,186
Location (City and/or State)
Louisiana
My rf and indian star wont eat cactus pads. Any advice? They are still babies though. I've tried by cutting them into tiny pieces and they still wont touch them.
Really just keep offering them. They will eventually eat them. They are similar to toddlers.
 

BigSkyReptiles

New Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2018
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Billings, Montana
My rf and indian star wont eat cactus pads. Any advice? They are still babies though. I've tried by cutting them into tiny pieces and they still wont touch them.

Are you chopping them up and mixing them with food they normally eat? That’s how I get mine to take them.
 

dsgncore

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2018
Messages
80
Location (City and/or State)
Jakarta
Are you chopping them up and mixing them with food they normally eat? That’s how I get mine to take them.
My star is already dead but my rf still refuses to eat cactus. No matter how i chopped them, served it whole, mixed them.
 

dsgncore

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2018
Messages
80
Location (City and/or State)
Jakarta
Oh no! So sorry to hear this! Do you know what happened?

We can all learn from others' experiences. [emoji26]
I really don't know. I was at work when my wife found him died at 6pm, but she saw Louie ( my baby star) still moving and walking at 4pm. No signs of R.i, nor bubbles, but he did eat very little, and he opens his mouth a lot ( like gasping ).
 

queen koopa

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
754
Location (City and/or State)
Las Vegas Nevada
Oh man.. that’s terrible. So sorry... I wonder if little guy had something stuck causing the gasping. Were you able to inspect him?
 

Stoneman

Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2018
Messages
354
Location (City and/or State)
Pacific Northwest, United States
The substrate is fine grade orchid bark.

I do try to remove most of the spines for babies, but it really isn't necessary. The spines from "spineless" opuntia are no problem for any tortoise species.

That's good to know, I poke myself pretty regularly removing the glochials. How can it damage us and not their internal organs?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
That's good to know, I poke myself pretty regularly removing the glochials. How can it damage us and not their internal organs?
I've pondered that many times, but desert tortoises eat the fully spined versions of this daily and come to no harm. The fully spined opuntia has been introduced to Madagascar and the local farmers use it to protect their crops from the local wildlife by encircling their fields with it. The local radiata tortoises just walk right up and eat it, spines and all. So even non-native species can eat it with no problems. When I get glochids in my hands or forearms, I sometimes use my teeth to get them out and hen spit them away. I've never had a glochid or spine get stuck in my teeth or lips. I wonder if saliva helps prevent getting stuck by the little glochids?

I don't have the answer, but I've been feeding it to all of my tortoises for many years and I haven't seen any issue yet.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
I've pondered that many times, but desert tortoises eat the fully spined versions of this daily and come to no harm. The fully spined opuntia has been introduced to Madagascar and the local farmers use it to protect their crops from the local wildlife by encircling their fields with it. The local radiata tortoises just walk right up and eat it, spines and all. So even non-native species can eat it with no problems. When I get glochids in my hands or forearms, I sometimes use my teeth to get them out and hen spit them away. I've never had a glochid or spine get stuck in my teeth or lips. I wonder if saliva helps prevent getting stuck by the little glochids?

I don't have the answer, but I've been feeding it to all of my tortoises for many years and I haven't seen any issue yet.

Interesting, thanks.

Jamie

PS- I planted ten pads in sandy soil a month or so ago, and haven't seen any new growth ... should I dig them up to feed to my Darwin or just give them more time?
 
Top