i know this thread is labeled
cactus pads but i just wanted to say something about preparing cactus fruit; i am paranoid about whatever goes into my dragons so i try to remove anything that might cause a problem.
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i usually take the fruit and carefully rub it with a damp paper towell. the point of this is to remove any excess spines.
slice the fruit as if you were cutting a fresh loaf of bread, about 1/4 inch thick(i usually throw the two end pieces away).
to remove the seeds, use a sharp-tipped knife and carefully cut around the entire seed cluster as close as possible(theres alot of good stuff right near the seeds). throw the seeds away, these cactus pears are 35cents or less... i think in this instance its ok to be alittle picky.
once youve removed all the seeds you should be left with several cactus rings with outter skin attached. use the same sharp knife to slice as close to the skin as possible, idealy leaving only a ring of pure cactus "meat" .
dice the rings into small, managable chunks. they are slimey so your dragon can't grab them with his tounge.
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i know this seems wastefull but these things are so cheap and there is no litter involved. i think it makes for a great presentation too. after preparing my dragons food, im tempted to take a bite .