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Just got this baby ornate. I don't know if I should keep the night light on or shut everything off at night. I have all the proper lighting, lots of plants and good humidity. At night she digs under the dirt, so i have been shuting it off. Thanks. I finally got my female ornate to wake up a little.

>>Just got this baby ornate. I don't know if I should keep the night light on or shut everything off at night. I have all the proper lighting, lots of plants and good humidity. At night she digs under the dirt, so i have been shuting it off. Thanks. I finally got my female ornate to wake up a little.

I have my lights on timers but not the heat. Heat stays on all the time but the lights are on & off without having to worry about it.
Very cute baby you have there. It's hard to believe they can be so tiny!
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PHRatz

Thanks for all the help. He is so tiny, and this is soooo scarey. This morning he ate a nice cricket. I love him! I hope I am doing the right thing for him and he makes it.

The only thing cuter than the little hatchling is your reaction. It's precious. You know, after all this time, that feeling has never gone away for me. Congratulations, and that enclosure is very pretty.

Hatchling ornates can grow very quickly. Enjoy it as a tiny baby now because it'll be a juvenile and sub-adult before you know it. Then, it'll be wanting to hang out with other turtles all of the time, eating "magic mushrooms" out in the yard, talking back, asking to borrow the car...wink wink.

hatchling from last year

That is so adorable. Tell you the truth, I don't like when they are this little. I get really nervous. A few years back, I had a Eastern hatchling, and I put some meal worms or wax worms, I don't know which ones, but one of them turned into a really huge beetle, and actually ate the baby. At the time, I didn't do enough research, and really didn't know how to take care of it. Many years have passed, and now I am trying again, but I will never forget that terrible experience. I built a pretty big outdoor pen in my yard for Nora, my adult ornate, and can't wait to put her out in the Spring. I even put a fig tree, strawberry patch, and a grape vine for her to munch on the ripe fruit. But it will be a while before I can put this little guy out.

I'm glad that you're learning from past errors. I'm so sorry that you had to experience that.

I think that you'll be pleasantly suprised by how hardy the little Ornate is. I always like to say that it seems they are "born older" than Easterns. They're larger, faster, stronger, and grow more quickly. Your habitat looks like it has some nice humid spots, which is something that many people with hatchling Ornates don't provide...I'm glad that you're not making that mistake. Provide a very warm, dry basking spot. My Ornates go straight to their basking area every morning when the lights come on, and then again after they're fed. Feed generously, varied, and often! Keep us updated with the little guy's progress and pictures!

Good news - guess what one of my very first meals offered to hatchling Ornates is?...mealworm beetles! Hey, it may be time for you to get some sweet revenge

Your setup offers a wealth of exotic places he can travel to and not have to go very far!

Looks great! I agree with not needing the lights on at night as long as you have heat underneath and a burrowing substrate.

Nice job !

Ric K.