Prickly Pear with holes

[Jameink]

My friend sent me this picture of his prickly pear cactus that has developed holes. He has not seen any evidence of insects. It's outdoors and gets quite a bit of light. He doesn't think it's getting too much water. Any thoughts? Could rodents cause this type of damage? Thanks!

Prickly Pear with holes.jpg (5.75 KiB) Viewed 1161 times

[hegar]

Unless someone used a sling shot on your plant, the only logical reason for the holes would be animals. Birds sometimes take a bite out of a cactus as do rodents (rats, rabbits, etc.). The young growth of the new pads is tender and also does not have those nasty spines. Other animals that feed on cacti would be insects and perhaps snails/slugs. However, the holes they cause do look a bit different and usually do not extend through the whole thickness of the pad.

Harald

[Aloinopsis]

I agree that this looks like rodent damage but rabbits are not rodents.

[Jameink]

Thank you! This is very helpful information.

[esp_imaging]

It's hard to see from the photo, but slugs or snails would be high on my list of suspects, certainly if this was outside in Northern Europe.

[Pereskiopsisdotcom]

I've had this damage before from squirrels. I caught them in the act too.