Outdoor Lighting
The Sun is always the best light for your tortoise. However, make sure they have shady spaces to hide and self-regulate.
Also, make certain that your tortoise is protected from possible predators.
Indoor Lighting
We use a Mercury Vapor bulb that provides UVA, UVB, and heat, and set it on a timer for 12 hours a day. This gives the hatchling a place to bask, and we keep the basking spot temperature below 95 degrees.
We then put the light on a timer and automate everything you can. Besides a reptile light timer, a smart outlet may work better for you.
Timer - There are a bunch of these timers out there. I like these because they use Wi-Fi and either Alexa or Google Home to set up.
Temperature and Humidity
The majority of the space is 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
The warm, humid hide is 80-90
Creating a Warm and Humid Area
To create a warm and humid area, we've designed a plastic box on the left that contains long-fibered sphagnum moss, which we wet once a week. This creates a cozy and moist place for the hatchling to sleep and relax during the day, ensuring smooth shell development. We use a Ceramic heat emitter attached to a thermostat to maintain a temperature of above 80 degrees, which keeps the humid hide comfortable for the hatchling. (Don't worry about the plastic box melting; there's a two-inch gap between the box and the heat emitter.)
