Cactus pads

[krh11b23]

Ok so I got som pads for my tort but he won't touch them even if I mix with food he loves. Any suggestions? I was thinking of playing hard lol and only offer cactus for a few days and see if he gives in. Is this a bad idea?

 

[ascott]

It is a new food---also it is kinda a distinct smell/taste--perhaps you can blend some up (puree like) and then cut the other greens up really small (small in relation to your tort size) and then in a bowl mix the greens and the cactus puree in and give it a good toss to mix it all up into the greens but not ALOT of the puree at the first time--as your tort eats the greens it will acquire the taste for the cactus....and keep in mind, not all torts enjoy cactus--they just simply don't all love it..I have a CDT here who will choke some down if I insist---lol...but acts like he would rather pinch his nostrils first so he does not have to taste or smell it--it is rather funny actually...

 

[krh11b23]

Lol ok thanks for the tip I will try it

---

Ok so I puréed it and mixed with mazzuri and he ate it up. I will do that for a while then maybe he will eat it on its own. I've heard cactus pads are really good for them

 

[thatrebecca]

I mince mine up with stuff my CDTs like. They eat it, but they don't love it.

 

[thereptileenthusiast]

Interesting, mine treat it like candy. I grow my own, not sure of the cultivar as I got the original piece from a neighbor.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

My leopards will only eat it if I cut it in half even the fruit must be cut in half or they will let it spoil , and the AZ desert torts will only eat pad that are 3 inches or smaller

 

[thereptileenthusiast]

I need to get a video of mine eating it one of these days. I hold whole 12+ inch pads firmly in my hand and they devour them. When they get to the really fibrous part near the base they bite down and pull so hard with their necks and front legs that they throw me off balance. I weigh 190 lbs. My bigger guy is only a 16 inch baby. They do not leave any scraps. When it gets too small for me to hold they continue to work on it using their from legs to help tear it up and eat every bit.

 

[ainfalt]

I need to get tank some of these!

 

[Dizisdalife]

When I first introduced cactus to Chuck he would not touch it. I had to wrap slices with radicchio to entice him to try it. Now he eats them pretty much as what Jake described. He will devour whole pads at on sitting and look for more. I bought some of these. Planted half of them and fed the rest to my tortoise. Now I have just about all I need growing in the yard.
http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27&products_id=119

 

[Tom]

Tortoises are creatures of habit. If they are unfamiliar with a new food, it can take a couple of months of introducing small amounts to get them to eat it. In the case of opuntia pads, it is really worth the effort. When sulcatas start getting bigger, it can get exceedingly difficult to find enough food for them. Its pretty convenient when you can go outside, hack off a couple of pads, toss it in the enclosure and walk away.

 

[J REED]

Tom how would these grow in the Alabama climate if I planted in my yard?

Jeremy

 

[krh11b23]

They will grow. I grow them in pots in Louisiana

 

[Dizisdalife]

Tom how would these grow in the Alabama climate if I planted in my yard?

Jeremy

I am not Tom, but I am sure they will grow just fine.

 

[Tom]

Tom how would these grow in the Alabama climate if I planted in my yard?

Jeremy

They grow very well in South Florida. There are many varieties. Len has found one that survives the winters in Virginia. Do you get snow?

One technique is to cut some pads off of one that grows somewhere near you. Obviously if you find a mature stand somewhere it will survive in your climate. If not you can grow them in large pots.

 

[wellington]

There are tortoise edible cactus that will grow here in Chicago as long as they have sun to dry out. I don't have enough sun in my yard to plant them, other then in pots so I can move them inside. You should be able to grow them. Plant in a nice sunny spot that also gets sun in the winter. Also not a high moisture spot.

 

[J REED]

You just stick it in the ground?

Jeremy

 

[thereptileenthusiast]

You just stick it in the ground?

Jeremy

Yep, just bury from a third to a half of it in the ground in a well drained sunny spot and it will grow. When I first moved to my bigger property, I brought a big branch from one of my mature ones at my little house and threw it in the yard to plant later. A week later when I went to plant it, it was stuck to the ground because little roots had sprouted from the parts that were touching soil. Apparently, they often spread like this in nature when flash floods in desert canyons carry pads away and they take root.

 

[J REED]

Re: RE: Cactus pads

You just stick it in the ground?

Jeremy

Yep, just bury from a third to a half of it in the ground in a well drained sunny spot and it will grow. When I first moved to my bigger property, I brought a big branch from one of my mature ones at my little house and threw it in the yard to plant later. A week later when I went to plant it, it was stuck to the ground because little roots had sprouted from the parts that were touching soil. Apparently, they often spread like this in nature when flash floods in desert canyons carry pads away and they take root.

Wow awesome

Jeremy

 

[Tom]

Here is how I do it:
1. Cut a pad off of an established stand. I like to use pads that are at least one year old, and thick.
2. Lay the pad somewhere with good ventilation, but not in direct sun, and wait about two weeks for the cut end to scar over.
3. Stick about 1/3 - 1/2 of the pad, scarred end down into some dry dirt and male a basin around it.
4. Leave it alone and don't water it for about a month.
5. After a month has passed, water as needed. I don't water mine at all during out winter rainy season, but I water once or twice a week during our super dry hot summers.