Looks ok in the photo besides perhaps being stressed? It may be inadequate water or sunlight, freeze damage, humidity (that may cause guttation), or mealy bugs...

Maybe I’m wrong but don’t most opuntias grow outside in full sun? I’m just thinking of what I’ve seen here in San Diego or driving through Arizona.

Karen, Opuntias are native from northern British Columbia all the way down to Tierra del Fuego.

I'd suspect its roots are not commensurate with the growth (Opuntia roots are known to spread out several feet from the trunk).

Most Opuntias do indeed grow in full sun, in some of the harshest climates / high UV / drought / other extreme conditions, as Tyler noted.

There are a few cactus which have extra-floral nectaries, but this isn't one of them, AFAIK.

It isn't dying but I've seen a few other cases of Opuntia being upright and then beginning to lean a lot for no clear reason. I've seen them lean when they are thirsty- cell turgor is lost I suppose. Usually when this is the case they begin to look a bit wrinkly. Yours doesn't look wrinkly. I guess it could be that it is getting plenty of water in which case the pads might have become too heavy for the lower pads to support. If neither of these fit then I don't know what is going on. I can't see the drops of water.

Hi Jeff, got any suggestions for the OP? My point to him was this was not a Mediterranean plant.

Yes SoCal, I know full sun, but I was trying to answer the Q asked since no one else had.

Karen, I wrote them above.

What you have is Opuntia microdasys ssp rufida.

When was it repotted last, and what mix are you using? When do you water it?

It look healthy enough but the drooping could be caused by the plant wanting to start growing and not having enough water.

If the medium is too hard to push your finger into, get a bamboo skewer and push it right in, and see just how dry/wet it is.

Hope this helps

Fof

Thank you, all.

I held back on the watering it to see if it would recover....it now contorts itself into different positions overnight. It still looks healthy ish but is clearly not happy. Any other suggestions?

As asked earlier - when was it repotted, last?

What medium are you using?

Did you use a 'teller', eg bamboo skewer, to see if the medium was moist in the middle?

It could be that the medium got completely dry and become hydrophobic.

Fof

Further to what Fof illuminated you with, this is a common occurrence with plants that have been planted in a medium that's got mostly peat in it, something often seen in plants from cactus nurseries where mass production is favoured.

It's planted in a mix of 2:1 peat free compost and sand. This is it today...

I water it sparingly every 2 weeks...

OK, but have you tried a teller?

If the soil becomes hydrophobic, the water just seeps down between the pot and the medium, and doesn't get absorbed by it.

Get a bamboo skewer, or similar, and push it in, as far as you can to see whether the compost is actually getting wetted.

If it comes out moist, then you know that that is not the problem, but if, as I suspect, it comes out dry, then plunge the whole thing in a bucket of water, upto or just above the top of the pot, and leave till it stops bubbling. Remove, allow to drain, return to its saucer and rewater when dry. The weight will soon start to give you an indication as to water content, but you can always check with a teller.

You say a 2:1 mix, compost:sand. What sort of sand? The surface looks gritty, but that could be dry medium or actual course sand/grit.

Fof

The surface is decorative. The sand/compost beneath is gardening sand to loosen up the medium. I have already tried the skewer and the compost is fairly damp. Might try the bucket treatment and see if it perks up...

Thanks for the advice..

It may be damp because of sand: we do not know what kind of sand you used (do not know what "gardening sand" is - do you have clear photo of it?), but fine sand interferes with drainage. Vast majority of pp would advise against sand, unless you are really experienced grower. It doesn't "loosen up the medium" , it could make it very dense. It could even compact to almost cement-like...I know from personal experience. Use small grit or sifted/rinsed perlite or pumice (or mixture of these) instead, in approx. equal ratios.