kaitiejane
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Is this okay for tortoises to eat?
Cactus question
- Thread starter kaitiejane
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Is this okay for tortoises to eat?
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Yes. It looks like what I grow here. I slice off the spines and skin.
I use it also, but I just found out on this forum, that it is pretty easy to just burn the spines off with a propane torch.
I have used both my stove burners to burn off the spines and I have also used a knife to scrape them off, both very easy.
You can also grow or buy spineless opuntia cactus. I just cut a whole pad off and throw it in their enclosure usually lasts a couple days.
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I read here not long ago that some keepers feed them spines and all!
It's very easy to burn the spines off with a propane torch. Hold it flat to the pad, and it will be quick and easy.
Spineless varieties are widely available, so I would seek those out and avoid potential accidents that might happen with the spiny types.
Spinless not easy to get locally where I am and I already have a stove as most do, so it's cheaper to use that to burn them off. If I ever have a reason other then to burn spines off of cactus to get a blow torch, I will still not probably use it for cactus, sounds like a bigger hassle then turning my stove on
. But, thanks for the tip of using one
kaitiejane
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I burned them off and cut it up but he didn't want anything to do with it! Ate all the food around it and left all the cactus in his food dish! All that work for nothing! Thanks for the feedback!
I would keep trying,from time to time.IT MAY TAKE A WHILE TO GE USED TO.
This is going to be true of most any new food that your tortoise is not used to eating. Try finely mincing a very small amount and then mix it in with the other greens of the day. Use only a tiny bit at first and thoroughly mix it all up. Do this for several days in a row and gradually up the amount of cactus. Over time your tortoise will get used to this new food and it will be worth it.
I would also recommend getting one of the many spineless varieties. They can be easily grow in posts and moved indoors when needed for freezing weather.
