Easy Cactus Safe for pets

Bunny Ears Cactus

Opuntia microdasys

A Mexican cactus with oval pads covered in regular tufts of golden glochids, resembling bunny ears.

The essentials at a glance

Watering

Every 21 days
Light

Full sun
Humidity

10–30 %
Temperature

5–35 °C

How to care for your Bunny Ears Cactus

Everything you need to keep your Bunny Ears Cactus healthy: watering, light, humidity, feeding, repotting and pruning.

Opuntia microdasys is an iconic ornamental cactus native to central and northern Mexico. Its flat, oval pads, devoid of large spines, are dotted with regular tufts of golden, white, or red glochids depending on the variety. Its branching, shrub-like silhouette can reach 60 cm in a pot. Despite its harmless and almost fuzzy appearance, its glochids are real barbed micro-spines that embed in skin at the slightest touch and are very difficult to remove.

Watering your Bunny Ears Cactus

Every 21 days

Water very sparingly when the substrate is completely dry. The pads store a lot of water. In winter, water only once a month or less if temperatures are low.

How to know it needs water

Substrate completely dry for more than a week
Pads becoming very slightly soft
Pot very light

How much light a Bunny Ears Cactus needs

Full sun

Full sun. At least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Can be moved outdoors in summer. Insufficient light causes the pads to etiolate and weaken.

Direct sun tolerated: 6 to 12 h a day
Orientations that suit it: South, South-east, South-west, East, West

Humidity and misting

10–30 %

Very low to low (10–30%). Prefers very dry air. Never mist. Moisture promotes fungal diseases on this arid-zone cactus.

Feeding and fertiliser

Every 30 days

Fertilize once a month in spring and summer. Stop from autumn. Excess fertilizer is harmful.

Recommended feed: Liquid cactus fertilizer diluted to half strength. · 5-10-10

Repotting your Bunny Ears Cactus

Every 24 months

Wear thick leather gloves — glochids are very difficult to remove from skin. Use folded newspaper to grasp the pads. Very well-draining and mineral cactus substrate. Terracotta pot with drainage.

When: Spring
Potting mix: Cactus and succulent mix
Mix in: perlite, pumice, coarse sand

The tell-tale signs

Cactus unstable or leaning
Roots completely filling the pot
No new pads forming for a long time

Pruning your Bunny Ears Cactus

In spring if pads are unsightly or to control the shape. Detach pads at the joint with a clean knife, wearing thick gloves. Detached pads can be dried for a week then laid on dry substrate to root.

Through the year

Watering is not set once and for all: it follows the light and the growth. Allow 32 days between waterings in the depth of winter, against 15 in the growing season.

32 J
32 F
25 M
17 A
15 M
15 J
15 J
15 A
17 S
25 O
32 N
32 D

Active growth · Days between waterings

Good to know

The glochids of Opuntia microdasys are tiny barbed spines nearly invisible to the naked eye that detach at the slightest touch — they are more formidable than large spines because they are very difficult to remove from skin.
In Mexico, certain Opuntia species are cultivated on a large scale for their edible fruits (prickly pears) and their pads (nopales) eaten as a vegetable.

Frequently asked questions about the Bunny Ears Cactus

How do you care for a Bunny Ears Cactus?

Water it every 21 days. Give it full sun. Ideal humidity: 10–30 %. Ideal temperature: 5–35 °C. Water very sparingly when the substrate is completely dry. The pads store a lot of water. In winter, water only once a month or less if temperatures are low.

How often should you water a Bunny Ears Cactus?

Every 21 days Water very sparingly when the substrate is completely dry. The pads store a lot of water. In winter, water only once a month or less if temperatures are low. How to know it needs water : Substrate completely dry for more than a week ; Pads becoming very slightly soft ; Pot very light.

How much light does a Bunny Ears Cactus need?

Full sun Full sun. At least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Can be moved outdoors in summer. Insufficient light causes the pads to etiolate and weaken. 6 to 12 h a day

Is the Bunny Ears Cactus toxic to cats and dogs?

No, the Bunny Ears Cactus is not listed as toxic to cats and dogs. That is still no reason to let your pets chew on it.

Why are my Bunny Ears Cactus leaves turning yellow?

Yellowing most often comes from too much water: the mix stays wet and the roots suffocate. Check that the pot drains, empty the saucer, and let the mix dry before watering again. Too little light or a cold draught cause the same symptom.

When should you repot a Bunny Ears Cactus?

Repot every 24 months, ideally in spring. Wear thick leather gloves — glochids are very difficult to remove from skin. Use folded newspaper to grasp the pads. Very well-draining and mineral cactus substrate. Terracotta pot with drainage.