Bunny Ear Cactus

Opuntia microdasys

Flat, oval pads stacked like rabbit ears, dotted with soft-looking tufts. Known for looking pettable, which it isn’t: the dots are barbed.

Foe

2.4/5

how easy it is to care for

2.0/5

how much it stands out visually

: Full sun

A south or west window with 6+ hours of direct sun

Your sunniest window, south or west, with 6 or more hours of direct sun a day, suits it best. With only a few hours it gets by, though new pads lean toward the glass and come in thin.

In a dimmer spot it survives for a while but grows lopsided toward the glass, and it won’t flower.

Short on sun in a Chicago winter? UMN Extension suggests a grow light hung just above cacti and left on for most of the day.

: Monthly

Every 10-21 days in summer, 4-6 weeks in winter

Give it a soak every 10-21 days in summer and every 4-6 weeks in winter, letting the mix dry out completely between. Soggy soil, or a pot left standing in water, rots it at the base.

Water until it runs out the bottom and empty the saucer: it must never stand in water. Let the mix dry out completely between soaks, which takes 14-21 days in a sunny window. In winter, give it just enough to keep the pads from shriveling.

Gone for a while? A month is fine if it’s soaked the day you leave; in winter it barely needs you at all.

: Medium

Slowly builds a clump of pads up to about 2 feet

New pads bud from the edges of older ones, building a many-branched clump that slowly reaches about 2 feet in a pot. They come in spring and summer, and the RHS gives it 10-20 years to reach full size.

Growth is slow: new pads bud from the edges of older ones in spring and summer, starting small. There’s nothing to prune, and a pad that breaks off can be rooted (see Propagation).

: Mildly irritating

Non-toxic, but the barbed dots prick paws and hands

DogsMildly irritating
CatsMildly irritating
KidsMildly irritating

Its fuzzy dots are barbed bristles that lodge in a paw, mouth, or hand, so it’s mildly irritating for dogs, cats, and kids. The ASPCA lists Opuntia as non-toxic; for kids, UC ANR lists cacti only for skin irritation.

Rated Mild for its spines, which can prick a paw, a mouth or a hand; no poison source lists it as toxic

Those polka dots are glochids: hair-thin barbed bristles that come loose at the slightest touch and are hard to see. Clemson Extension says they can hurt more than bigger spines.

Kids too: the University of California lists cacti only for skin irritation from thorns and sap, not as a poison, and the bristles are the whole risk here. Keep it where curious hands and noses can’t reach.

ASPCA: safe for dogs (rates the whole genus).
ASPCA: safe for cats (rates the whole genus).
PubMed: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic. Spines or thorns: spines and glochids lodge in skin, mouths and eyes.

Kids: No poison-centre listing; rated from university extension sources. Its sap can irritate skin or eyes. Spines or thorns: spines and glochids lodge in skin, mouths and eyes.

: Dry OK

Ordinary rooms, cooler in winter; dry air is no bother

From spring to fall any room at 50-85°F suits it, and air as dry as 10% humidity is no trouble, so there’s nothing to mist. In winter it likes a cool rest at 50-65°F by a cold window; it can’t take frost.

Temperature: 50-85°F
Humidity: 10%+

: Mealybugs, scale

Mealybugs where pads join; scale as brown bumps

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton, often where the pads join, and scale shows up as small brown bumps stuck to the pads. Both turn up only now and then; rot from wet soil is the likelier trouble.

Mealybugs
Scale

Few pests. Rot is the main danger: soggy soil or a pot left standing in water rots the roots and the base of the pads.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton, often where pads join; scale looks like small brown bumps stuck to the pads. Wipe them off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then check again next week. Heavy scale is hard to beat, and Clemson says a badly infested plant may be best thrown out.

Rot shows as soft, dark, mushy tissue at the base or where pads join. Root any healthy pads as new plants (see Propagation), let the soil dry out, and water less often.

: More

A monthly quarter turn; light feeds June-⁠September

Turn it a quarter each month so the pads grow evenly, and give it a few light, low-nitrogen feeds from June to September. Winter is a cool, dry rest; repotting, in gloves, comes every 2 years or so.

Low-n feeding jun-⁠sep4× a year
Quarter-turn toward window12× a year
Repot with gloves/tongs (glochids)every 2 years
Cool dry winter rest routine1× a year

Cactus mix, or potting mix cut half and half with coarse sand, which drains fast, in a pot with a drainage hole and only a little bigger than the plant: cacti like a snug pot, and extra soil stays wet.

Repot only when it outgrows its pot, in spring. Wear heavy gloves, or wrap it in a few layers of folded newspaper to lift it.

Food is optional: a fertilizer higher in phosphorus than nitrogen, at half strength, once or twice in late spring or summer is plenty, and none in winter.

: Suave

Flat, matte pads polka-dotted with fuzzy-⁠looking tufts

Oval pads about 4 inches long stack up like rabbit ears, each one polka-dotted with soft-looking tufts that are really barbed bristles. The finish is flat and matte, and the clump leaves plenty of soil showing.

Where to find me

Not at PILF places

Fun fact

It has no true spines; its polka dots are tufts of barbed glochids that come off at the slightest touch.

Designer tips

Cartoonish and graphic, it adds a playful, desert-modern note to a sunny sill.

The moodAdds a cartoon note to a serious, sunny windowFlat pads stacked like rabbit ears look like a drawing, which is welcome in a room of straight lines. The soft-looking dots are barbed, so admire it from a step back.

The sceneJoins a pet-safe desert sill with an echeveriaBeside an echeveria and a few living stones, it makes a small desert that’s pet-safe and wants the same sun and the same rare soaks.

Troubleshooting

The pads are wrinkled or soft

Wrinkled but firm usually means thirst, and a good soak tends to plump the pads back up. Soft, dark, and mushy at the base is more likely rot from wet soil: let it dry out completely, and root a healthy pad as a backup.

Are the fuzzy dots soft?

They only look it. Each dot is a tuft of glochids, hair-thin barbed bristles that come loose at a touch and are hard to see, so gloves or a folded sheet of newspaper make handling it easier.

New pads are thin, pale, or leaning

Likely not enough sun. Your sunniest window, south or west, or a grow light through a Chicago winter, helps the next pads come in fuller; the stretched ones stay as they are.

See all 9

My dog sniffed it and is pawing at its face

Likely a few bristles in the nose or mouth, not poison: it’s mildly irritating, and the ASPCA lists Opuntia cacti as non-toxic to dogs and cats. The barbs are hard to see, so see your vet if the pawing keeps up.

How often does it need water in winter?

Barely. Every 4-6 weeks is typical, just enough to keep the pads from shriveling (Clemson’s rule), while it rests in a cool, bright window.

Why hasn’t it grown in months?

That’s its pace, and it rests in winter. New pads usually bud from the edges of older ones in spring and summer, given plenty of sun; in a dim spot it barely grows at all.

A pad broke off

It can become a new plant. Let the broken end dry on the counter for 4-7 days, then set it upright in slightly damp cactus mix or sand; it usually roots in a few weeks to a month.

Will it flower?

Rarely indoors. Outdoors in full sun it makes creamy yellow, bowl-shaped flowers in late spring, then red fruit; a cool, dry winter rest and your sunniest window give it the best chance.

Can it go outside for the summer?

Yes, in a sunny spot out of heavy rain, so the pot doesn’t stay wet. Bring it back in before fall nights drop below 50°F, and check it for bugs first.

Propagation

Yes, easily, from a single pad.

In spring or summer, twist or cut off a pad (gloves, or folded newspaper), let the cut end dry on the counter for four to seven days, then set it upright in slightly damp cactus mix or sand.
It roots in a few weeks to a month; water sparingly until new growth shows.