Should I cut out soft parts around wound made on golden barrel cactus after removing pups

Question

My golden barrel cactus has pups growing on the top of it, some are quite large. After winter I noticed one of the pups was very soft around it’s crown and rotting. I decided(reluctantly) to remove the pup, due to the closeness of the pups growing I removed 2 and moved the cactus under cover in case of rain. Removing the pups caused a wound on the main plant and before I knew it, a hole had formed and quite a large area is soft. Garden slaters have also gotten in there and I am unsure how much damage they have done. But there does appear to be a large area eaten away inside. The rest of the cactus has firm flesh and the other pups still attached are healthy also. Should I cut away all of the soft mushy affected flesh and expose the eaten away flesh inside, which would hopefully prevent the slaters? I realise I would have to protect the plant from rain. I am worried the insect damage will continue causing further damage if I don’t do something, but don’t want to lose my beautiful cactus completely. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Answer 1

Yes, I would cut out all the dead and dying parts. You also may want to replace the soil with fresh, sterile soil if you think the roots are affected.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/barrel-cactus/barrel-cactus-care.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/barrel-cactus/propagating-barrel-cactus-pups.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/cactus-going-soft.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/barrel-cactus/pythium-rot-in-barrel-cactus.htm