Some Spine-Less Cactus

Srmcclure

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I must added three of these pads cut up into 2 inch chunks. Not too small. Our Sully enjoys the devouring process.

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Plus if you chop them up, the sticky gel type insides makes the dry food stick to it really well and both my tortoises love it so much they don't care that they are getting the stuff from Kapidolo as well lol
 

queen koopa

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So I heard people feed cactus pads to tortoises. Do you just chop one off and throw it in their pen or do you have to chop it up or something?
You can grow these SUPER easy in a pot or the ground in vegas. We don’t have to worry about rot out here! As I’ve been reading from other members, it seems areas With some humidity run into root rot and such. Ive started 9 cactus out here and haven’t lost one yet. Spineless cactus is a life saver. I do plant them upright instead of laying flat though. We have little to no humidity, starting end of May I do a heavy watering every night for my original 4 (3 in pots 1 in ground, they are over a year old) the 5 I just planted in ground (which I got from Tom) I water afternoon and night. Just planted about a month ago and I have growth on all. Damn rabbits got to 3 of them, but I got fences up now. Hope I saved them.
 

VegasJeff

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I saw them selling the cactus pads at the local Albertson's here but they had the spines in them. I don't know who's buying those but how do the tortoises handle the spines in the wild?
 

Maro2Bear

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I saw them selling the cactus pads at the local Albertson's here but they had the spines in them. I don't know who's buying those but how do the tortoises handle the spines in the wild?

Depending how large the spines are and the size if your tortoise, they just eat them down. The ones i feed now have smallish to no spines. I used to scrape them off, but no longer.
 

Florida

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Depends. Smaller tortoises have touble biting off pieces of the tough cactus, but large tortoises eat them with ease.
So when do they go from being small to larger? I have two Sulcatas in an outside habitat who eat everything in sight. I have chopped up the spineless cactus only to see it decay enough that I can feed it to my geese. My boys eat Dandelion. Collards. Spring Mix. Wild weeds and grasses. They are not particular. But cactus. YUCK!!!!
 

Florida

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So when do they go from being small to larger? I have two Sulcatas in an outside habitat who eat everything in sight. I have chopped up the spineless cactus only to see it decay enough that I can feed it to my geese. My boys eat Dandelion. Collards. Spring Mix. Wild weeds and grasses. They are not particular. But cactus. YUCK!!!!
Also I want to add that I only offer the new pods thinly stripped
 

method89

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Len gave me a bunch of different things but these are the pads that are growing the best. The mulberry bush Len gave me is really starting to take off. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of it.
 

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Florida

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Depends. Smaller tortoises have touble biting off pieces of the tough cactus, but large tortoises eat them with ease.
I'm about to give up on cactus pads for a while. I have sliced, diced, and peeled the young tender sprouts and my torts leave them till they wilt.
 

Maro2Bear

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I'm about to give up on cactus pads for a while. I have sliced, diced, and peeled the young tender sprouts and my torts leave them till they wilt.

What kind of tortoises? I’m surprised they are left behind. Plenty of other greens in Florida!
 

Len B

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@Turtulas-Len do you sell them? I’d love to try growing some.
No, I never charge for plants. Just shipping cost. Where in Virginia are you located ? I've have one box going to California and wasn't planning on shipping anything after that. If you are near Colonial Beach you are welcome to come get some plants. I have Hermanns and grow food for them also.
 

Len B

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OkAdiza

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No, I never charge for plants. Just shipping cost. Where in Virginia are you located ? I've have one box going to California and wasn't planning on shipping anything after that. If you are near Colonial Beach you are welcome to come get some plants. I have Hermanns and grow food for them also.
Oh great! Yes, I should have known. You sent me some Rose of Sharon seeds. My first try at growing failed, as I was to eager to get them in the outdoor enclosure and my usually picky Hermann’s ate the small plant.
I have 4 new seedlings going now. Hopefully I’ll have flowers next year. I’ll PM you. Thanks!
 

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Maggie3fan

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I'm about to give up on cactus pads for a while. I have sliced, diced, and peeled the young tender sprouts and my torts leave them till they wilt.
It all depends on how old your animals are I'm thinkin. Mine two are 9 and abt 7. The 7 yr old has the usual Sulcata bigger then anything diet. The 9 yr old will eat the pads. Knobby won't. I brought mine from Calif when I moved here.
Spring and Summer the plants are out 24/7. In October they will go into the tort shed for the winter.

I think this cactus is a gas!! (Jumpin Jack Flash). I have 7 in pots.
I do have something else from Len, something that makes me eternally grateful that he is such a nice person. I have 25 mature bushes and an uncounted group of not mature bushes. They very quickly became my most favorite plants beautiful to look at and the flowers and leaves will be fed to tortoises. Len sent me starts a buncha years ago. Right now only one bush has started to bloom this year. Mine are mostly mature plants that bloom like crazy. I have lavender w/red centers, white w/red, pink and red, solid white, and I bought one as it actually blooms red, white and blue!
Yep, you guessed it, Len's Rose of Sharon.

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Ray--Opo

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So says the “cactus whisperer” of the Northern Neck of Virginia. ? Good tip there Len about laying pads horizontally on the ground/soil and letting nature work its magic. Ive had good luck with starting my new pads this year with Florida-direct spineless pads from @Ray--Opo . I think I started about 30 pads, and all but 1 has put up lots of new growth. Planting vertically in dry soil meant only had to use two pots. The one hold-out pad is still making up it’s mind, but remains firm & green. Just no new growth.

Like our poster from Oklahoma, I too had some early thundershowers that totally drenched my pots. One can only baby sit so many things. Anyhow, the multiple deluges didnt bother the growth. Lately we have had enough thundershowers that I won’t water at all Now for the rest of the Summer.

Once it gets time for freezing temps, I’ll bring those pots inside along with Sully. ? They can commiserate together.
Glad the cactus are doing good. Recently I picked up a pad that had been laying on the ground for a few weeks. To my surprise it was full of roots on the bottom side.
 

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