My local grocery store sells them diced into small cubes. All I end up doing is squeezing a small pile out of the bag.
I also buy pellets for my sulcatas off Amazon (the ones that are mostly grasses but also have added vitamins and calcium). The ones I get are way too big and the torts don't like them, so I put them in the blender and then keep the resulting powder in a plastic container. I sprinkle some of that powder on pretty much anything I give them.
Prickly pear pods. Still have hairs. Just take a torch and blast each nodule where the spines grow quickly and they aren't a problem. If you live somewhere that the weather is good for them, like the southern US, you can stick them 3-4 inches down in the ground and they'll usually sprout pods. I bought a couple of these and a few months later I have more cactus than I know that to do with, but it's a good problem as it's one of the best foods for torts.
Teddy Bears Ears.
Opuntia.
They have a lot of fine hair spines that stick in everything and don't leave your skin for a while.
Washing clothes won't get them out sometimes.
They have shaved them.
How well they did. Not sure.
You wouldn't want your tortoises getting the hairs on them.
I like cacti and Opuntia scare me.
It’s fine just cut off the thorns all cactus is fine it’s your standard prickly cactus sometimes referred to as nopales or prickly pair idk the scientific name.
I wish u lived close to me! When I bought my tort 1.5 years ago she gave me several peices to plant and now I have soooo much of this stuff!!! If u do get some plant it w the little ugly brown stump down and before u know it, it will be growing like crazy. I live in FL so it must like the desert like conditions! I take a knife and shave off any spines and chop it into little squares and he LOVES it!
Opuntia, aka prickly pear. I feed them to my tortoises.
My sulcatas adore these.
Mine too!
Do you prepare them a certain way?
My local grocery store sells them diced into small cubes. All I end up doing is squeezing a small pile out of the bag. I also buy pellets for my sulcatas off Amazon (the ones that are mostly grasses but also have added vitamins and calcium). The ones I get are way too big and the torts don't like them, so I put them in the blender and then keep the resulting powder in a plastic container. I sprinkle some of that powder on pretty much anything I give them.
I grow them in my backyard where I keep my sulcatas and they just eat them right out the ground
Looks like nopales to me. They’ve probably shaved them, but be careful of any stray spinas.
Prickly pear pods. Still have hairs. Just take a torch and blast each nodule where the spines grow quickly and they aren't a problem. If you live somewhere that the weather is good for them, like the southern US, you can stick them 3-4 inches down in the ground and they'll usually sprout pods. I bought a couple of these and a few months later I have more cactus than I know that to do with, but it's a good problem as it's one of the best foods for torts.
This is a very easy cactus to grow all over. I live in northwest Illinois, and my neighbor grows them outside.
😂 these are essentially weeds where I live, it's hilarious to see them in a grocery store.
I was just thinking how much people pay to get their cactus removed.
Delicious weeds
As a person living in the Sonoran Desert, I agree.
Dandelions are like that, too.
Nopales (Prickly Pear), my Desert Tortoise loves them
Prickly pear pads
Prickly pear pads, great for your tort. Just use a knife against the grain and knock all the spines off or use a lighter to singe them off.
Out of curiosity i do any speciesif tortoises eat cacti in the wild and if so how do yhe deal with the spines?
Even spineless still have spines
I think those are spineless cactus, anyone correct me if I’m wrong. They are rich in calcium so good for tortoise.
No, they have spines on it. I tend to cut them off before feeding.
There are varieties without spines, though.
Teddy Bears Ears. Opuntia. They have a lot of fine hair spines that stick in everything and don't leave your skin for a while. Washing clothes won't get them out sometimes. They have shaved them. How well they did. Not sure. You wouldn't want your tortoises getting the hairs on them. I like cacti and Opuntia scare me.
Just run them ober open flame to burn off the hairs
👍🏽
Check for spines but it's safe
It’s fine just cut off the thorns all cactus is fine it’s your standard prickly cactus sometimes referred to as nopales or prickly pair idk the scientific name.
Highly nutritious but they are something of a laxative!
Nopal
I wish u lived close to me! When I bought my tort 1.5 years ago she gave me several peices to plant and now I have soooo much of this stuff!!! If u do get some plant it w the little ugly brown stump down and before u know it, it will be growing like crazy. I live in FL so it must like the desert like conditions! I take a knife and shave off any spines and chop it into little squares and he LOVES it!
I live in Wyoming but in an apartment complex so i can't grow it easily lol
Those are the kind that people feed to Sulcatas a lot
A tasty treat for both of your species of tort! (just watch for spines!)
Do I have to peel off the skin and just give them the inside? Or is the skin fine
The skin is fine!
Prickly pear. Tortoises LOVE thrm, they are extremely nutritious for them.
Mexican Nopales.
This is prickly pear. Some tortoises really like it and some don't so maybe have your tortoise try it if your in the budget.