Domesticated Reindeer Reindeer — Variety Guide

Domesticated Reindeer — one of the reindeer varieties owners search for by name.

Domesticated Reindeer Reindeer — photo used in our Reindeer guide

Domesticated Reindeer is one of the reindeer varieties people look up by name. This page answers the questions owners actually type about domesticated reindeer, then points you to the sourced reindeer care guidance that applies to every variety.

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, the same species as caribou) is an Arctic-adapted cervid kept by herders for meat, milk and velvet antler in cold regions.

Quick answer: Domesticated Reindeer is a variety of reindeer. Everything on this page is reindeer-level guidance — we do not invent variety-specific numbers.

The care below is reindeer-level guidance from our species hub, sourced to Reindeer Owners & Breeders Association and Merck Veterinary Manual — Ruminants. It applies to Domesticated Reindeer exactly as it applies to every other reindeer variety. We do not publish variety-specific temperament, lifespan or weight numbers that we cannot source.

How long do Reindeer live?

Reindeer live about 10–15 years in managed herds and up to 18 in captivity. Calves are born after a roughly 225-day gestation, almost always singletons in late spring, and must stand and nurse within hours in the wild-type pattern. Males carry antlers that are shed and regrown annually (velvet antler is harvested on some farms). Their cold-adapted biology means a long, cold life is the baseline — heat shortens it sharply.

What do Reindeer need?

Reindeer are adapted to lichens, especially in winter when they seek carbohydrate-rich ground and tree lichens; a captive herd needs lichen or a formulated ration plus grass/forage and a mineral mix. They require cold, dry air and deep-snow tolerance, and in summer need parasite control for warble fly larvae (under the skin) and nasal bot flies. They need clean water, shelter from extreme wind, and a vet familiar with cervids for antler velvet, parasitics and calving.

What people ask about Domesticated Reindeer