Cactus help please

[pooopypants]

I've had this cactus for years now, actually it pre-dates my DH!

I've recently repotted it and noticed some colour difference near the base - is this normal? I've never seen this on a healthy cactus before. It isn't soft or squishy there, same firm texture as the rest of the plant.

I might seem overly invested in this cactus but this is the only one that actually grew to any decent size and I grew it from seed - I usually have very black thumbs when it comes to house plants!

Could it need repotting? I’m no expert on Cacti, but it does seem to be in a small pot.

Just noticed you said you’d repotted it!!!!
As I said I’m no expert.

I meant to say, this picture is in the old pot, it's now in a bigger pot with much more space!

They can go corky near the base. Nothing to worry about. That's looking fine - see the nice colour on the new spines at the top?

I usually go for about 1cm space between cactus an edge of pot, but more if the cactus has particularly troublesome long spines

Oooo thanks @meredinto, I appreciate that. The new pot has about 1.5", maybe a bit more, clearance now so plenty of space :)

Exactly what MereDint said, it's probably corking, which happens to older plants. Make sure that the potting mix you use is free draining, with plenty of grit mixed in, and that the pot has drainage holes to allow water to drain away. And don't use a pot cover!