don't know anything specific about this breed, but I always thought that my Samantha, a Malamute mix, handled the heat okay... Then one year we got a "deep freeze", & the water in the dogs' plastic pool froze solid. I let the dogs out early in the morning, started the coffee, & went to bring them back in... & saw Samantha lying flat on her belly on the ice, smiling. Much as I love her, I don't think I'll ever have another Arctic dog, at least not deliberately, as long as I live in our hot state. but you might go to the Pets Forum on That Home Site! (at the top of this page, there's a thin dark green strip; go to "Forums" & when the drop-down menu appears, click on Home Forums). There are many knowledgeable & helpful animal lovers over there.

I believe that incubation begins about 5 days after the first egg is laid and normally runs about 14 days indigo. So then, we can assume that we should see hatchlings around about 19-20 days after we see the first egg. I have been told that a cold snap coming in will sometimes delay the onset of incubation. Candling the eggs will tell you what you need to know. I think that it is always best to err on the side of extreme caution. Our primary goal is to help the birds to have successful nestings.

Yes Deanie. Not a dumb question. You want to keep the HOSPs out of the box, and the Chickadee hole is too small for them. I don't know that a hole reducer would keep a House Wren out though. You may not have them in your yard. I had never ever laid eyes upon one until last summer. On May 1st, I had one show up in my yard. It went from box to box, filling each one with sticks. They are like the HOSPs in that they will destroy eggs and nests of other cavity nesters. They do not look or sound like our sweet Carolina Wrens.~Angie

They don't necessarily require your investment in mealworms alone. They are quite happy with hulled,crushed sunflower seed and will arrive as a family to feed without squabbling at the feeder. Place a collector tray under the feeder to catch the falling stuff as the bluebirds aren't meticulous and will drop as much or more than they consume. Bluebird habitat also attracts the less stout phoebe pairs which are more aerobatic catching bugs/moths in flight. However they compete for nesting spots so by mid spring the bluebirds have nested elsewhere and return in late summer if they get supplemental feeding. Least that's how it works on my acreage. The feeder I fill with crushed sunflower seed is the one with the squirrel repelling feature of a perch that quickly rotates when the weight of a squirrel or other ground critter activates it. It holds a family of 4 bluebirds, a fat cardinal and a couple of goldfinches without activating the 'repellent' feature. Hulled whole or crushed sunflower seed tends to hatch out insect worms in storage...more protein for the birds so don't toss out the seed thinking that it is spoiled unless it smells rancid. Toss it under a shrub or tree, something will eat it.