Sometimes if you leave them outside for a few months, you'll get a whole new cactus plant.Best way to store them is to set them some where with good ventilation and leave them alone. Even outdoors in summer with 100 degree temps they last for months. If you put them in a fridge, bag, or box, or anything that closes off the air flow, they will only last a few days before beginning to rot.
Yes. My husband said I should cut one of the spine clusters off and plant it - it will grow, as they re-root. I don’t really need to as their are so many wild ones.Sometimes if you leave them outside for a few months, you'll get a whole new cactus plant.
For smaller tortoises I cut between the spines and throw the spines away,or you can scrape them off using a knife, If you scrape them off under running water the little spines don't flutter around they go down the drain. Some people burn them off. For larger tortoises I leave the small spine on the pad, they don't bother them.