Reindeer Food
Reindeer Food: In The Wild And In Captivity
Reindeer food isn’t just a cute little gift that is exchanged by classmates during the holidays, although this type is rather tasty too. Reindeer food in their wild habitat is actually pretty hard for them to come by, though in the summer time they enjoy spoiling themselves with high quality greens, leaves, and the shoots of young trees. Reindeer are a winter species, found in the most harsh, coldest climates on earth. Save for the arctic regions, where penguins and polar bears are the only animals brave enough to attempt survival, these tiny little mammals will live anywhere that snow is prominent more than 9 months out of each year.
During these long winter months, reindeer food is quite difficult for them to come by, and they have adapted to this shortage by learning how to dig with their sizable, split hooves. Most of the winter time snacks are hard earned, and will consist of either tender bark from young trees or certain mosses that they sniff out and dig up from beneath the deep snow. Lichens are a common organism, related to nutritious algae, which sustain the reindeer through the toughest months, and they spend most of their waking hours scratching and pawing out these prized foods. During the short summer, reindeer food is much more plentiful.
Summertime is the birthing season for reindeer, and the calves come any time between May and June. The earlier the better for these little guys, as they have very little time to grow and gain strength for their first long winter. Baby reindeer food will consist primarily of their mother’s milk for the first two weeks or so, but since they are born with teeth, they begin foraging and scrounging for solid foods very early. Mama will allow them to nurse for up to 6 weeks, but they rarely need her milk for this long, sustaining a good rate of growth through the food sources of the forest. Those unlucky calves who are born later in the season have a far lesser chance at survival during their first winter season.
Reindeer food in captivity should be as close to that found in the wild as possible. Allowing some forest space where your reindeer can scrounge for lichens, moss, and tender leaves. They should also have a bit of dry grazing land to partake in. during the winter months, it is natural and necessary for the reindeer to lose 12% of their body weight. Cattle feed works well for your herd during these tight cold months, and you will want to sprinkle a great amount of it onto the snow, keeping their interest and helping them to recreate the natural foraging process.