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I haven't been able to find much specific info on the fruit of the opuntia cactus. Do you feed the purple fruits to your torts? Do you consider it a top quality food, on par with cactus pads?

Thanks.

Many people do but I can't see the value when I see that it is about 80% seeds.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I bought a few at the grocery store the other day, cut it open and saw nothing but seeds. I didn't feed it, i generally try and stay away from anything with that many seeds...

-Ian

"I haven't been able to find much specific info on the fruit of the opuntia cactus. Do you feed the purple fruits to your torts? Do you consider it a top quality food, on par with cactus pads?"

hey brad,

they love them, but you're asking for some pretty runny stools. i usually avoid all fruits for the RTs.

matt

Well I chopped one in half, and while there where seeds there was also a lot of gooey purple flesh. And I tasted it and it was the blandest fruit I've tried short of a quince. Doesn't seem to be much sugar.

It's only available every once in awhile, and I'll mix it in with cactus pad, hay, and some greens. If it causes problems in such small portions I'll drop it.

Thanks for the info.

I haven't found that many seeds in the ones I get up here, either. Maybe it's the variety. You can chop them into pieces and freeze them if you want them to keep longer. They're pretty mushy when they thaw out, but the torts don't care a bit.
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Sohni

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni boetgeri)
0.2.0 Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni)
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

There are two types of cactus fruits, the flesh on one is white and the other one is purplish. They are not in season right now that's probably why the fruit tasted bland but during summertime, the purplish one is very sweet (haven't tasted the white flesh one) and I think that's why some torts love them. I give them to my deserts and redfoots as a treat once in a while.