What do I do with cactus.

[nsmancino]

So in an effort to get my tort to eat a wide variety of foods, I snagged a cactus pad at the grocery store today. Seeing as how cactus have spines on them, what is the best way to prepare the cactus before I give it to Sully?

 

[nate.mann]

take a pair of pliers over the trash can and pluck them off. some people like to just knock them off with a knife but i dont like risking there being any thorns left behind.

 

[mike taylor]

If you have a torch you can burn them off thats what I do easy as pie.

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app

 

[Yvonne G]

The configuration and saliva inside the tortoise's mouth is such that the spines (glochids) don't hurt him.

I take a potato peeler to the pads in order to feed baby tortoises because the skin is too tough for babies to bite.

You can also rub a Scotch Brite pad over the pads to remove the glochids.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

I do the knife or the Scotch pad over the sink with water running so the spines really go bah-bye.
Sometimes cutting with scissors helps some tortoises but the whole pad being bitten and torn is suppose to help with the beak being trimmed I have read here on TFO.
My produce guy tells me if you get spines on your hands, that running your hands through your hair several times removes them.

 

[Sh3wulf]

So glad you asked this! Thank you.

I have tiny blisters on a couple of my fingers from invisible flipping thorns that I got when I dropped a stupid pad. I'm not bitter about them at all lol

I now have a nice set of tongs to hold with and will be using the torch method since I'm told that ensures getting them all. Soon he will just be able to eat it without me worrying about the thorns (thanks Wellington) audible sigh..soon

 

[aclesi11]

I always take a sharp knife and cut off the bumps with spines. I then look over the pad to make sure no spines were left behind.

I usually cut the cactus into strips and then cut the strips down the center. This leaves the softer center exposed so the baby sulcata can more easily bite into it.

 

[nsmancino]

Thanks guys! I have heard the torch method and potato peeler. Will likely try the potato peeler.

I hope he likes this cactus because it sure seems like a lot of work!

 

[lkwagner]

If he won't eat it by itself... I have also put it in my food processor with some grass hay and Mazuri and my guys love it. But they still eat it by itself too