Nopal cactus pads

[Tortus]

So I'm looking to buy some for my young leopard and uromastyx.

I see some on Amazon advertised as tortoise food for 5.95 a pound:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UYWCRK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Then some on eBay for 7.95 for 2 pounds:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220939758316&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

I notice that neither listing says "organic". Even though they're advertised for tortoises, would you trust either of these?

I'm seeing 1 pound of "organic" pads for sale at certain pet sites for $15. That seems a little high when I could get 4 pounds from the eBay seller for the same price.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't worry about "organic." If its fit for human consumption, your tortoise can eat it.

 

[kurmaraja12]

I just bought some from the Amazon seller. They sent me one big cactus pad. It was also 6 dollars for shipping, so the total was more like 11. It's nice cactus and I only really bought it just to see if it was economical, which it really isn't.

Depending on where you live, sometimes nicer or gourmet fruit and vegetable markets have cactus pads and fruit really cheap. A place where I lived in Lansing, Michigan would sell a medium sized pad for 23 cents! I would also try a Mexican market our food store. While these cacti pads may not be truly organic, they are for cooking and therefore human consumption, and that's good enough for me.

So I would call around you area and check markets. It might even be cheaper than the internet if you drove an hour to pick some up in a larger city.

 

[DeanS]

The ebay seller has the spineless type...and the tortoises NEVER turn it down.

 

[lynnedit]

Nice links! I see that you can get Nopal cactus powder on line as well.

 

[mainey34]

There are lots of places to buy it, why buy on eBay. Breeders sell it. I just am Leary about sellers on eBay, my opinion

 

[Tom]

They sell it in most ethnic grocery stores. Anything like that near you?

They are really easy to grow in pots. I'm pretty sure Tyler from tortoisesupply.com sells them too. You can trust him.

 

[Tortus]

I'll have to ask a Mexican friend at work about ethnic stores in the area. I know she puts "nopales" in her food but I think she gets the pickled kind in a jar. I thought they were string beans until I looked up nopales.

The eBay seller has sold a lot and has positive feedback, so I may try him and plant some. I live in MD but in warmer months I see them in people's yards. I'll ask if any pesticides were used around it. The story seems to be his neighbor has big one in his yard that he wants to get rid of, so the seller is cutting it down and selling it little by little.

 

[Tom]

The tender young pads are best for small tortoises and these have to be grown yourself. I've started many of them in pots. I bet they'd do fine for you there if you can get some starter pads.

 

[Tortus]

I see tortoisesupply has them for 11.95 for 4 lbs., but I don't see an "add to cart" option. They must not be available. I tried getting Mazuri from that site before and thought the shipping to my area was on the high side.

That's a little more than I need though. It would take forever for a 65 gram tortoise and a 8" uromastyx to eat 4 pounds of pads and they'd probably go bad. Or I'd have to look up some recipes and eat them myself.

But yeah I'll definitely try growing them. I don't imagine they'd survive a harsh winter outside? What kind of lighting would they need indoors?

 

[DeanS]

For babies, I recommend www.rivenrock.com until you get your own grown...order Grade A or B...these are the tender pads...and you may wanna munch on these yourself...they are tasty! John grows the BEST organic nopales I've ever eaten! Oh yeah! There are NO NEEDLES NOR GLOCCHIDS WHATSOEVER!

 

[Tom]

I see tortoisesupply has them for 11.95 for 4 lbs., but I don't see an "add to cart" option. They must not be available. I tried getting Mazuri from that site before and thought the shipping to my area was on the high side.

That's a little more than I need though. It would take forever for a 65 gram tortoise and a 8" uromastyx to eat 4 pounds of pads and they'd probably go bad. Or I'd have to look up some recipes and eat them myself.

But yeah I'll definitely try growing them. I don't imagine they'd survive a harsh winter outside? What kind of lighting would they need indoors?

If you keep them dry and somewhere "airy", they will last for months.

I have had good success growing plants indoors with regular florescent lighting, even cfls.

 

[Tortus]

I have an empty 55 gallon aquarium with 65watt 10,000k full spectrum lights in the hood. I was going to use it for a turtle but I could probably grow some things in there.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I get mine from Vallarta.

 

[DeanS]

I get mine from Vallarta.

Why?!?! To save a buck?!?! That crap from Vallarta is soaked in lemon juice...serving as a boric acid, of sorts...then soaked in water...and greatly diminishes any benefit fresh cactus would have!

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

Why?!?! To save a buck?!?! That crap from Vallarta is soaked in lemon juice...serving as a boric acid, of sorts...then soaked in water...and greatly diminishes any benefit fresh cactus would have!

Well I didn't know! Where do you get your's?

 

[Tortus]

Well I ordered some from the eBay seller at 7.95 for 2 pounds. I see he's since raised the price to 8.95. Maybe the supply is getting low...

I'll report on how it looks when it comes in.

 

[DesertGrandma]

I have purchased these on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520

I was very happy with them for my tortoise babies because they are thin and tender. My intent was to propogate them. They grew very well for me, but the rabbits like them so well that they almost ate them all. So, if you want to plant these make sure they aren't accessible to rabbits and such.

 

[Redstrike]

Sometimes you'll see people on the forum offering pads for free. I got a medium-sized priority mail box full last year from a forum member by simply paying the shipping cost ($12). I planted most of them in pots and they're growing great!

Poke around the for sale and bartering forums and see if anybody is offering any.

---

You could also put a thread up in our "wanted" forum to inquire about getting some from a forum member?

 

[DeanS]

I have purchased these on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520

I was very happy with them for my tortoise babies because they are thin and tender. My intent was to propogate them. They grew very well for me, but the rabbits like them so well that they almost ate them all. So, if you want to plant these make sure they aren't accessible to rabbits and such.

Joy is quite right! Doris is the BEST opuntia seller on ebay...she ALWAYS gives more than she offers...and it's the same species as the seller in LA offers...no needles and hardly any glocchids!