Opuntia/Cholla light and water re-adjustment

[BlackDesert21]

It's almost time to take the cholla and opuntia out of their winter hibernation. They've been in a shed with filtered daylight (no direct sun) and no water whatsoever since Halloween (Oct 31 for members in countries without that holiday). How should I go about getting them back into being watered/outside? I know I can't just put them out in the sun or they'll get fried. What about water? I hear extended periods without water can be quite taxing on the root system, so is it safe to just suddenly give them a full watering?

Lots of new pad buds have emerged during this time!

[greenknight]

Go ahead and give them a good watering. Opuntias aren't prone to losing their roots from drying out, they can be severely shriveled and snap right out of it with a watering.

You're right that you need to find a way to re-introduce them to the sun gradually. If there's a place you could put them where they get early morning sun only, that would be a good place to start, or someplace that gets broken sunlight.