---
title: "Hi friends! I recently received a (albeit very sickly)…"
description: "Hi friends! I recently received a (albeit very sickly) astrophytum/goats head cactus from a friend. He didn’t have the time to try and save him and wanted to…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/-X4S5ToKQxix9CCJE_6Hhg?language=es"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Francesca"
published: "2024-05-09T05:39:23.555247Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/tnpmRUtOAZZZidyJquGquuIAgO1fQCtJZQw8oywZSeY/eaw01LPuSf2H1s272R7TTg.webp?size=large"
---

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# Hi friends! I recently received a (albeit very sickly)…

_Publicado por Francesca el 2024-05-09_

Hi friends! I recently received a (albeit very sickly) astrophytum/goats head cactus from a friend. He didn’t have the time to try and save him and wanted to see if I could give it a shot. Now I am not an expert by any means but I used Dr Planta to diagnose it and it thinks it’s scales (EEK). What do you guys think?

Did I just endanger the rest of my plants by bringing this one into the home? If so, how do I make sure they don’t get scales??

I tried to see if I could pull any of the reddish bits off and they don’t budge so I am hoping it is edema/discoloration. I don’t see any moving pests on there either.

HELP

![Adjunto 1 de 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/tnpmRUtOAZZZidyJquGquuIAgO1fQCtJZQw8oywZSeY/eaw01LPuSf2H1s272R7TTg.webp?size=large)

![Adjunto 2 de 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/tnpmRUtOAZZZidyJquGquuIAgO1fQCtJZQw8oywZSeY/uVTozlzpT72KdRmvfU8N0g.webp?size=large)

![Adjunto 3 de 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/tnpmRUtOAZZZidyJquGquuIAgO1fQCtJZQw8oywZSeY/w0j0O6dCQOuIZmBJ-9UKSQ.webp?size=large)

## 8 comentarios

### Soup comentó el 2024-05-09

Hm, from what I can see, they don’t look like scales, they just look like a weird residue?

#### Francesca respondió el 2024-05-09

Hi soup! Thank you for responding. I appreciate it! Just to further clarify I am referring to the orange spots on the cactus. The white spots, while they do look like a residue if that’s what you’re referring to, actually grows naturally on this cactus has a defense instead of spines. We believe it is a goats head cactus or a bishops cap cactus, both in the astrophytum family.

#### Soup respondió el 2024-05-09

Heya! Dw I was talking about the orange spots :) (btw ty for the cool fact). Do the spots feel squidgy? I think it could be a fungal infection possibly.

#### Francesca respondió el 2024-05-09

Honestly I was poking (and admittedly trying to scratch off) the orange spots last night and they aren’t squishy at all. They just feel like the rest of the cactus??

### Kat comentó el 2024-05-09

Hmm. To me it doesn’t look like scales. Maybe mold or rot? Is the cactus mushy? Definitely needs more light

#### Francesca respondió el 2024-05-09

Hi Katelyn! Thank you for responding. I appreciate it! This cactus did just come in from being outside so he was getting a lot of sun here in Arizona. Not mushy. Just wrinkly. His roots were still good when we brought him in. Mostly worried about the orange dots on the cactus.

### Dave\_opuntiaface comentó el 2024-05-09

Apparently, the orange - if it’s actually orange rust - can happen with too much humidity around the roots. But you’re in Arizona…

But yes. If you see any bugs, your other plants will get them and you’re going to wish you went back in time and burned the offending plant.

But rust is localized to the plant, from what I’ve noted.

That all said, I’m a little puzzled as to why these are kind of oozing. Signs point to looking at the roots.

#### Dave\_opuntiaface respondió el 2024-05-09

![Adjunto 1 de 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/BbppAR_wTfyBrXeUyupLdw.webp?size=large)

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