Attack of the Teddybear Cholla Cactus

[adasdadinator]

your dead to me.

[azromper]

I got one stuck to my hand not too long ago...needle went straight into my knuckle joints...not fun. ran it under icy water to numb my hand then with tweezers pulled damn hard to remove it. luckily no blood and no infection. today i sawed off and disposed of the cholla in my yard so it never happens again....the cactus wrens will have to find another place to nest.

[RCmaniac1231]

ouch

[Ripptyde64]

what a pussy

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@Ripptyde64 btw I sure hope you don trip and fall into one of those!

[fadedexile]

i've only done that like 10 times lol. it fuckin hurts like hell even after you pull em off.

[chicoRC]

You, sir, are one tough son of a bitch. My hats off to you.

[Bacchus0531]

Carry a fork with you next time. They work really nicely to slide in between your leg and the Cholla. You can more easily flick it off without further causing injury.

[killbunny90210]

@Bacchus0531 that, or a small hair comb

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@killbunny90210 I use a pair of pliers

[sapphiretigress1]

ouch!!! you are brave!

[DylanCrashes]

YOU MISTER , HAVE IRON BALLS.

[moptop1316]

damn bro thats hardcore

[mydreamline]

DUDE!! I know your pain personally!

[m015094]

I was at Anza-Borrego desert and I ran into a bunch of these.  They suck- big time.

[ArizonaSean]

That happened to my son, he fell on one.

[kaypo99]

My standard poodle got close to a cholla. A piece came off and clung itself on the side of his face. He tried to wipe it off with his paw and got his paw full of thorns. When I tried to help him get the piece off with my bear hands... you guessed it. When I got home I took the piece off with 4 layers of towels and pliers. He got it on his tongue, cheeks, ears, paws, and the inside of gums. Got it all out except the inside of his gums way back in his mouth. The vet had to get the rest out.

[Tahnithaar]

And to think these things look soft and fuzzy from a distance... most deceiving little plant ever.

[Codawinx]

really? cacti r prickly? i had NO idea!

[closethedoor11]

I was running with my dad out in the desert yesterday, and got like six of these balls stuck in y leg, and most of them were in my AchillesD:

[bahamutskingdom]

I can tell this is not truly a native to the desert. Only an idiot would walk into a cholla forest in shorts lmao. For those who are not accustomed to these type of cactus these are not fun cacti to get involved with. They can be this nasty.

[boiper]

But it's just a teddybear....

[cgsurf498]

yum

[kimmallable]

I LOVE IT!!!! Working water utility in the desert, I had this happen like every other day. I tell ya..... People put pipes in the dumbest places, sometimes.

[sunshinenina31]

god i have the same fucking experience:(

[1incipitvitanova]

Ouch!!! That was hard to watch! You handled yourself very well under the circumstances. First time I encountered those sob cholla's was Sedona, AZ. Only got a few of the spines in me but the pain was totally out of proportion w/ their size. Thank God for the Swiss Army Knife.

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@1incipitvitanova fail they don't grow near Sedona

[hihihippl]

DO IT LIKE A BANDAID! GEEZ

[tomgunc]

He's STUPID

[P3ngu1nFaN10]

Lol at like 2:10 i was like

DAMNIT TAKE IT OUTT TAKE IT OUTTTTT DDDX

lol xDDD

[Autowarfare]

You tough mother fucker.

[EMproductions12]

so you did do it just to get on youtube and it did tickle and it was fun right? lol

[Reclused5]

Reminds me of the time I had a concussion and fell backwards onto a bunch of cactus. I just laid there till my friends found me and could pull me up by my arms. I think I still have cactus splinters. I see now it could have been worse if they had all been like these ones.

[redking15ca]

My leg hurts now :(

[trivuong]

holy shit he said the pain is not so bad.....

[Tom5179]

That was hard to watch

[gotwaldorzo]

i fucking hate those thing goss

[Goldenrod636]

Is it even possible to stay away from all of them?

[dvdsky8]

ummm any of us here in PHX are now thinking, you're overdoing it a bit aren't you? It's not THAT bad. Plus, grab a bigger stick dude!

[BITDktmguy450]

when we go on trail rides on our horses we always make sure to have a comb nothyng works better for getting it out of you and your animals

[desertdarlene]

Yep, had that happen to me, too. I also fell into some cholla, but luckily, I just missed getting severely hurt. Had red marks on my legs and arms for a long time.

[copperkipper1]

Join the cholla club...I had it worse and i was in the same situation as you..why was it worse you ask? I sat down when i felt it on my leg without checking the ground then got one stuck to my ass then running into a clear area got another one stuck on my leg -.- bastards

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@copperkipper1 I got one that went through my shoe and through my sock and into my foot which was sort of a bitch to get out. I did, and it's growing in my yard to this day.

[EmoGrr4]

OUCHH

[mmmmmarcus]

OH SHIT.

[NinjaGhostScorpion]

Get some of those thorns into you, and you'll be hating life, for sure.

[gregvader]

I discovered how fun those are, on a hike in the Superstitions.

[WildfireWarrior1]

I had one in my leg like that i didn't even notice it until i was on my way home.

[Redrobottyler]

Best of luck to you! I thought this was gonna be like an informative video until it turned in to "this damn ball in my leg!"

[mybrookee1]

OMG!!! You brought back horrible memories! I know exactly what you went through, I recently had a cactus jump at me when I was delivering to home on my route as I am a mail carrier. It took twenty long minutes in front of the home to get the damn thing out. OUCH!!!!! to say the least. Good video.

[AnonPartyVan1]

Ok i have a question, Why does this exist.

[AlBorland3877]

@AnonPartyVan1: This way the cactus reproduces itself. It sticks to the fur of passing animals and falls off somewhere else.

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@AlBorland3877 wow for once someone who understands these cacti. I hate all the stupid misinformed weekend warriors in the desert.

I have several "hitch hiikers" growing in my yard here in AZ.. including the C. bigelovii, and C. fugida.

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@AnonPartyVan1 because of what Alborland said, also because the plants are usually sterile since they are all clones of each other. They RARELY flower and when they do, it creates no seed. So unlike most cacti they do NOT reproduce via flowers.

[cat333pokemon]

My father had the exact same thing happen to him and also used pliers to remove it. Those things must be extremely painful.

[feARless556]

how come you never show the little girl thats doing all the wimpering in the video?

[boredman443]

@feARless556 Legendary comment.

[feARless556]

@boredman443 haha, i was on my quad and one kicked up off my riding boot and stuck in my jaw under my helmet, i just reached up and pulled it off with my riding gloves and kept going, i couldnt shave the next day, but i didnt let it get me down

[MrRichKent]

I was just at the cholla garden in JT last week. All I can say is freakin ouch! I was cringing the whole time you pulled that out.

[bringerovdeath]

hey didnt that look like one ov those trible things from the old star trek

[KyuubiBloodSucker]

Just be glad you didn't sit down on one. I once checked around to make sure I was sitting in a clear spot on a rock but desided to sit a bit on my heals... And of course there were needles there... ^^; I haven't been the same ever since.

[Daniel1996Gonzalez]

if they are live plants can they feel pain...............if they do use a lighter to make them jump off with fire...like a leach

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@Daniel1996Gonzalez ?

[ilyak13]

Damn I bet that hurts. Son of a b!

[yungmelly]

i aagree he just want to hug. =[

[HannahVampire]

Cactus ball wants a hug...

[iplop]

I will never complain about sandspurs again.

[my79spirit]

So you say you got stuck? I feel for you son. I got 99 plants, but a cactus aint one.

[TheRealReasonForDP]

the same exact thing happened to me. it sucks cause its so hard to pull off

[staygold2050]

Well, even blue jeans do not protect you. The thorns penetrate jeans and get your skin anyway. My colleague unfortunately had an incident in Arizona today.

[iBellah13]

QUESTION!!!!!

Isn't the teddy bear cactus the plant that if it touches you it'll start growing roots in you? thats what my science teacher said.

[liberalinthedesertaz]

@iBellah13 lol no. They do not make roots into you.

[RCmaniac1231]

@liberalinthedesertaz actually they have barbed spines that are meant to stick to animals so they can reproduce segments

[jukka144]

the exact same thing happened to me today. ouch.

[tallguyfocus]

You have to use a couple sticks or a couple rocks and use them like tongs to pry it straight off.

I got stuck with 2 of these today as we hiked. Surprisingly painful!! They stick in very hard!

[imoncrack22]

i saw this today in my Biology class XD

[phoenixhoneybee]

note to self: beware of cholla cactus.

[sirsicklick]

"Be careful, peter parker! It has the characteristics of a symbiote!"

[TheMarkoz992]

those hurt like crap

[demeal]

LMAO!

[Nonniemayrox]

that no garden, thats called the desert. plus your an idiot for wearing those gay shorts there.

[Wisdomdesign]

Do they make a liquid that can dissolve the needles, And yet still numb the area that was touched? That is why I wear pants and closed toe shoes to the dessert , you just never know.

[nukedoom3000]

"Gotta make sure I don't flip it onto my other leg." That would have sucked balls.

[tokyoaok]

now i know to stay the fuck out of the desert.

[tard1994]

tight...

[lanamal]

HOLY SHIT.

[SwimmingMunky]

sry dude, that sucks. i feel for ya. its happened to me too. i tripped and fell into one. it made me sick for a few days... hurts like a mofo.

[acramerus]

My two favorite quotes:

"If I can only get...a couple of them out, IF I CAN GET THIS BALL OFF MY DAMN LEG...things will be better."

"Arhhh, see it BROKE my stick, son of a damn it!"

[umean123]

@acramerus one time one jumped on my jeans where my private area whas... it hurt...

[mafurock33]

thank you for your video, may I make a suggestion though? remember the sesame street song "You gotta put done the rubber ducky if you wanna play the saxophone" maybe you might want to put down the camera next time you have to remove painful objects from your body. that said, hope you are feeling well.

[electronixtar]

you are doing this just be on youtube?

[KWEKOSHKUKI12]

u know man i was biting my lip as u take that spiny ball of pain out of ur leg

[pljloves]

Do those thing really jump on you ?? or do you have to touch it in order for it to attack you ??

Do they sell these thing at the stores ?? i would like to get some lol

[MrGameAndWatch00000]

@pljloves you must first touch it in order for it to attack you

[mrluckyuncle]

I admire your self-restraint: I cursed like a sailor when I encountered this dreaded cactus.

[philluminate]

i kid you not, i accidentally flipped one off my shoe, right into my half open mouth. i panicked and tried to grab it off my face only to have my hand stick to it as well. the only thing i could do was man up and pull it off, so i gave it a hard pull and yanked it off my face. it was very hard to pull it off because about 8 spines were anchored in my lip, nose and chin. then i cut the rest off with pliers and yanked them outta my hand one by one.

[CactusRincredible]

HORRIBLE story. Beautiful cactus.

[cwmike08]

Omg LOZL

[jedwards1975]

this was me tonight.. ouch.

you had it much worst then I hahaha

[CactusRincredible]

These are gorgeous cactus! They need to be protected! They look like fuzzy trees when they are large! They are SOOO very painful and the only way to get a spine out is to use pliers like posted below! Why the heck would you do that to yourself??

[CeruleanFilms]

Every year I drive from Orange County to Lake Havasu, and when these plants start appearing you know you're just a few minutes from the CA/AZ border. It's weird how they're just all of a sudden everywhere when you start down into the valley where Needles is.

[VicDeHaven]

Protecetd, my ass! We need to torch every one of these despicable creations out of our ecosystem. Aside from providing shelter for pack rats they are about as much fun tohave around as a pond full of New York mosquitoes. ;-((

[CactusRincredible]

They are a nesting place for various desert birds like the Cactus Wren!

Move from the desert if you don't like native plants or stay away from them. You can't stay away from mosquitoes. Teddy Bear Chollas also make great desert landscape in yards and will work well for home defense (LMAO) and unwanted wandering cats!

[OrganicVeggieLoaf]

The best way to remove a Cholla ball is to use a pair of diagonal cutters and cut each stuck spine separately so that they are no longer connected together. Then remove each cut spine using a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Each spine has a thin sheath that you can actually pull off (try it next time). The sheath contains an irritant that remains in your flesh until it is absorbed.

This is a very dangerous cactus and one should not get anywhere near it.

[MyTurtleCollab]

lol i got one stuck to my NECK! Apparently my girlfriend put there to mess with me! she didn't even know what it was ,it hurt like hell!

Luckily i had some hairspray i guess the hairspray freezes it and just fell off..lucky

[jedwards1975]

oh crap!

[irondog3004]

watch your pets near jumping chollas! my dog got stuck with one recently and we had to bring her to the vet as emergency. she was screaming in pain the whole time.

[FutzAndTinker]

I would have cut a strip of cloth from my shirt, wrapped it around it and pull. That way there's no chance of it rolling back on you and sticking again. Either that or use a stronger stick to begin with...and forget the freakin' camera, use two hands!

[genesisthegod]

I love arizona its my favorite state its the best state evr!~

[azjohn]

I just got one of these JAMMED into my calf last night on a trail run. A cholla ball grabbed my heel of my left shoe and jumped into my calf of my right. It's still throbbing - hard.

[msnman123456789]

RAWR!

[stinky1235]

OUCH

[rcoope]

Hey Dude, do you think that just maybe if you wore some LONG pants it might just work a little better while playing in the cholla?

[hiPlasma]

RAWR!!

[potclan]

I remember these from the Valley of Fire park in Nevada.

[killeninicent]

i love Arizona too and that looks like it hurts alot!!

[tig3rbit3r]

ouch

[e1ainey]

omG. i found this video because this happened to me today. RIDICULOUSLY PAINFUL!! they're thoroughly barbed so that tugging on any spine stuck inside you will inflict huge amounts of pain. :( kudos to you for braving it out on your own... my dad yanked the spines out for me cause i couldn't do it myself. you are a brave man.

[Raulkingsville]

its funny when if happens to some one else. but today a huge piece fell on my whole hand and forearm. it hurt like a bitch!!! it tookk about 35 min to pull it all out !!!

[SmolderingRuin]

See, the thing is to stay away from them. They're rooted in the ground, and they can't follow you. I've lived in the Sonoran Desert for 13 years. I have Chollas in my yard. I've picked up the spines and replanted them (a pair of bbq tongs or salad tongs works well for this). I haven't been attacked by a Cholla yet. Gotta show them the proper respect. I'll bet you know that now. Painful video. I gave it 5 stars for the suffering involved in making it, lol.

[tsunamisurfer09]

Arizona sucks ass! I Wish i lived somewere else

[neogeomm]

Arizona isn't soo bad... we have great weather, and beautiful sunsets. I really don't mind the cacti.... except cholla "teddy bear" cactus ... that stuff is nasty! It really gets in your skin that easily, and yes, it's that tough to get off!

[gailquincy]

My sentiments exactly!

[BaconBeast11]

i love Arizona

[killeninicent]

i love Arizona too!

[killeninicent]

dick, Arizona is the best

[jeremyx08]

ouch

[BlackManedLions]

NASTY things!

[sairfaxroolz813]

ugh ive had one of those things get me. except they have that itchy chemical called histamine so when u take it out its vicuously itchy. you have to take it out with tweezers or a comb.

[thevrsweetz]

Why were you wearing shorts instead of blue jeans. Oh well, it probably would not have made any difference. Those nasty teddies.

[kahunna]

Actually, jeans would have made a difference: I could grab the jeans on either side of the cactus to help pull it out of my leg! But I think I know what you meant: it wouldn't have made a difference on keeping me from being attacked.

[Hydrokillz]

@kahunna you're right it doesn't make a difference i once got 2 of these bastards stuck on my leg when i went to take a piss. one got my calv THROUGH my jeans and stuck in pretty deep. 2nd one i didn't even notice was underneath my foot but i was steppin on my heel the whole time till i got home realized i almost stepped on it luckily it was just the tips attached. but pliers were the only way i could get the first one off.

[o2thx]

When you showed me this video the next day when I joined you out there, I could easily see the marks on your leg lol Classic video