Reindeer food - please read!

[Aquiver]

Hi all,

Please could I just remind anyone that is considering making up some "reindeer food" for stockings, Christmas Eve boxes etc - please don't use glitter in the mixture!

Glitter is a micro plastic and can be deadly for wildlife (like birds and hedgehogs) which are attracted to the oats etc in the mixture.

Here is the RSPB advice - https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/glittersnotgoldforwildlife/

[santa]

Excellent reminder!

Bumping, very important reminder

Our reindeer food last year was just a mixture of different birds seeds. The kids loved making it, no glitter needed.

What about the edible lustre stuff? Not that I'm planning on making it this year.

I used sugar mixed with food colouring shaken up, mixed with the oats and a sprinkling of edible glitter because I had it.
It sat on the lawn like a lump of vomit

Thank you for the reminder.

I made reindeer food last year in the Christmas Eve boxes.

We used glitter.

I didn't know about it being harmful. I will use edible stuff this year.

It's in home and bargain at the minute for anyone who is interested along with a load of baking kits and such.

(First time is made them and I made 40 to sell and I donated them all to Alder Hey instead and I will do the same this year but with the edible stuff)

Well said! Although in my house growing up we were told to leave out a glass of whisky for Santa and a a dog biscuit for the reindeer!!!

I think I read that edible glitter is bad too as you're essentially feeding animals and birds sugar that would never usually feature in their diets (except seagulls who eat everything). Happy to be corrected though.

Excellent point.

When did reindeer stop eating carrots?

Jesus, what fresh hell is this? It's a carrot and a bowl of water in this house plus a glass of wine and a mince pie for Santa (so I can scoff it while doing stockings). Glittery reindeer oats? Don't fancy vacuuming that up!

@ImogenTubbs I totally agree - carrot for the reindeer in this household! It was just in reading a thread about Christmas Eve boxes that someone mentioned it, and I thought a reminder would be helpful.

The thought of all the plastic soup in the oceans and landfill (and entering the ecosystem) makes me feel lightheaded.

Never done that but, honestly, no reindeers have ever come anywhere near where I live so it would be wasted.

I regularly put food out for the hedgehog but that's not at Christmas time.

Yes- fight over which adult gets the carrot, mince pie and port.

If you get the port you also have to take at least 4 bites out of the carrot. Best year was when DS insisted on parsnip not carrot-very hard going. I tried to get him to leave brussels sprouts but he said even reindeers wouldn't eat them.

My dc like to put a carrot out for each reindeer. All of them in a little line on the front step.
I forget to go and pick them up once they have gone to bed after I've had a wine.
If you'd seen my face when my parents knocked last Christmas and I looked down and saw a long line of carrots sat looking sad.

Apart from anything else it's terrible waste

You are absolutely right Aquiver!

We go to a grotto every year where they mix up some reindeer food with glittery shit in it, so we just put it outside in a bowl rather than sprinkle it. Then as soon as they are asleep I chuck it away. It does seem like a waste though admittedly.

Yup, carrots all the way here too. Rudolph usually gets a good few en route I think, as he only ever eats half of it here. Whereas Santa eats almost all of his cookie and drinks all his milk.

I know someone who reckons Reindeer love those big green outside leaves off the cauliflower - they always seem to be devoured in her house!

Our Scouts joined the annual "Big Beach Clean" over the weekend, and reminded us that bags take over 200 years to break down, but also that not only will some fish eat bags as they think they're jellyfish (and so die because they suffocate), the microbeads of plastics that break off end up moving up through the food chain and into the fish we eat as humans.

The same with glitter in reindeer food. It ends up in wild animals, and that can go through the food chain into the food we eat.