I tend my prickly pears in leather gloves with special padding on the fingers. They've been lifesavers.
Do you have any soil tips? I used organic cactus soil that I got at a fancy gardening store in Brooklyn, and my cacti did nothing. After I moved, I replanted them in cactus soil that I got at Walmart, and they seem to love the cheap Walmart stuff. I've been wondering if there is some normal home product that I could give them every once in a while to give them a boost.