What is this cactus and how do I feed it?

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AslInterpreter

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IMG_0420.JPGHello all!!!! My nieghbor has this cactus and told me I could use it to feed our 5 year old sulcata. I have no idea what kind it is or if it safe to feed him. If so, do i have to de-thorn it first or just throw the pads in with him??

Thanks in advance, Jeffrey
 
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Laura

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yes you can feed it. I would choose the young pads where less thorns and feed that. the fruit can be fed too. get some gloves and good pliers to pull off or cut the thorns that are there off.
 

SILVERSTAR

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i use a grater that i got out of my kitchen and yeah thats some good cactus,i learned that theres nothing better than fresh cactus,ive saved cut up cactus for a week in the fridge and they did eat sum but they could tell that it wasnt rite off the plant,mine prefer it directly off the plant.
 

DesertGrandma

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There is a really good thread on here by Tom and he describes burning off the needles first and then using a pair of thick rubber gloves and a scouring pad and scouring off the remainder under running water. I do this all the time now and it really works. Since I don't have a gas stovetop I use a lighter stick, the kind you start up your grill or fireplace with.
 

Missy

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Best tortoise food:) As advised above, remove thorns.
 

dmarcus

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Yea it will be less painfull if you burn off those thorns first then either have think rubber gloves or some metal tongs to remove the pad. then just use a knife or something sharp to srcap those pesky glochids (small painful things) off the pad and then they are good to feed..
 

Len B

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That's a nice plant.I remove the thorns from that type of cactus the same way that Laura suggested. In the pic there are some young pads that could be feed without doing anything but picking or cutting them off. At the bottom of the pic in the center is a good example of a ready to feed pad, the one going to the left of that pad is also a good one,I don't remove the glochids they shouldn't bother a 5 year old sulcata.I have several different types of cactus and the -make ready to feed- process is different, depending on type of cactus and age of pad. Len
 

Mao Senpai

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You can also use a sponge to remove the glochids.. just rub it across and it'll take them right off. The bigger thorns will require you to yank them out or burn them off though :)
 

AslInterpreter

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Thank you all!! I cut just one off and got the thorns off....the tiny, hard to see thorns are the worst!!!! After I said a few choice words, and got the thorns off, I fed the pad to Thomas.....and he demolished it!!!! I have never seen him eat like that before, it was kinda like me eating a bunch of doritos!!!!! :)

Thanks again, and I will continue to feed them as long as the neighbor doesn't care!
 

DeanS

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They love the flower cones as well...
 
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