Your kids’ reindeer food could lead to a ‘swarm of pests’ by Christmas morning – here’s what experts say to add & avoid

EVERY family has beloved Christmas traditions and if yours involves making reindeer food with your little ones, these tips are for you.

Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa has since evolved into feeding Rudolph and the team but make sure you don’t give any more wildlife a festive feast in the process.

The experts at revealed the steps to take and the mistakes to avoid when creating your perfect reindeer recipe.

Sprinkling “reindeer food” is a fun way to help guide Santa’s sleigh to your home on Christmas Eve. 

However, placing certain reindeer food in your garden doesn’t only guide Father Christmas to your house, but also pests.

Oats are commonly the main ingredient in reindeer food recipes, however, sprinkling oats in your garden can attract animals such as rats to your garden. 

Grains, including oats, wheat, and rice are important nutrients for a rat as they are full of vitamins and minerals that the rodents need as a part of their diet.

That means that sprinkling oat-heavy reindeer food in your garden could leave you with a swarm of rats this Christmas. 

With this in mind, the experts at Wayfair UK have revealed their top tips for reindeer food that is sure to bring joy, not pests, to your home this Christmas.

“Reindeer food is an amazing way to spread festive cheer this Christmas,” they explained.

However, homeowners should ensure their recipe isn’t one that attracts unwanted guests this festive season.

The professionals revealed the extra ingredient you can add to deter pests.

“Pests are attracted to food scraps within our homes, therefore it’s crucial to add a hint of spice to your reindeer food this year to deter any unexpected Christmas visitors,” they said.

“Adding a few spoonfuls of chilli powder not only adds a pop of colour to your reindeer food, but the spice is also a natural and safe deterrent against garden pests.”

And they also shared how the snack can help more than just Santa’s reindeer.

“Reindeer food can be the perfect opportunity to do some good for the birds in your garden this winter,” they said.

“Consider replacing the oats in your reindeer food with birdseed, and sprinkle your reindeer food over a garden bird table or in a bird feeder.

According to the experts, this will ensure that the winter robins in your garden remain fed over the festive period.

They also revealed the popular Christmas decor item to avoid in your recipe.

“Christmas is all about sparkle however when it comes to reindeer food, sparkle needs to be avoided at all costs,” they said.

“Glitter can be extremely harmful to the environment and wildlife within our gardens and not to mention leaving a huge mess to clean up.”

Instead of glitter, try adding in a few spoonfuls of chilli powder to add a natural pop of colour to your reindeer food.”

This ingredient can also help to deter pests from your garden this winter.

But don’t worry, it won’t stop birds from snacking on the festive treat.