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Welcome to the group! Congrats on the tort--very cute. Take lots of pictures as soon he will be huge! Hope you have a large yard, as they can be very destructive and mow down the grass to dirt. You need a larger enclosure with substrate like cypress mulch or coconut coir, moistened but not wet (this will help the shell to not pyramid). Pet stores typically give very bad advice...sorry, but the tank, sand, and light set up you have are all poor choices.
I'd try to return everything and get:
-a large plastic tub, like Rubbermaid (Walmart, Target, home improvement store); the sides should be at least 12 inches high, and not clear is better; right now they have xmas tree totes out, which are about the largest you can find; if you get one of those, you might want to block off half for now with a vertical wall, and expand the enclosure as the tort grows; they do better with good air circulation, a temp gradient, and not being able to see out (therefore glass tanks aren't usually ideal unless very large and having paper so the tort can't see out, but plastic tubs are cheaper)
-cypress mulch (home improvement store or garden store) or coconut coir (pet store), moistened, about 4-5 inches deep if you have the height in the enclosure without the tort being at risk of being able to climb onto a hide and climb out (they are escape artists!)
-a lamp stand (ZooMed has some, pet store)
-hood fixture with ceramic socket (pet store or home improvement store; put the bulb with the face parallel to the substrate, not at an angle)
-Mercury Vapor Bulb (Powersun should be available in pet stores...if you didn't need it immediately I'd say get a Mega Ray or T-Rex Active UV Heat, but those are only available online, and you need to get this hatchling either good UVB or some real sun daily); this provides heat, UVB, and light all in one and is the bulb that most closely mimics the sun; keep this on 12-4 hours a day; you might want to use a household light timer from a hardware store
-if your house gets under 70/75 F at night: a ceramic heat emitter with a cage clamp fixture
-pure calcium powder to use daily over the food (human supplement store or pet store; no D3)
-a temp gun to accurately measure temps and provide a gradient from 75 to 105 F (PE1 is online for $25)
-spring mix (no spinach or chard) from the grocery store produce section
-water dish like a plastic plant saucer large enough for the tortoise to get in and soak, but not very deep (just deep enough for the tort to stick their head in to drink) (home improvement store)
-slate tile for food to keep it off the substrate and wear down the beak & nails (home improvement store)
-tupperware or a kitten size litter pan to soak the tort in for hydration, every other day for 10-15 minutes, baby bath warm water, a water level up to where the upper shell (plastron) and lower shell (carapace) meet, so the tort doesn't have to hold its head out of the water
-hides for each temperature zone in the enclosure, such as boxes or containers with vertical sides (to prevent climbing & flipping over), or fake plants (craft stores), flower pots on their side sunk into the substrate, etc
-checkup for general health and a fecal test for parasites from a reputable tort vet
I know this may be a bit overwhelming, but we have the best interest of your tort in mind. Hatchling can be very fragile. Sadly many pet stores and breeders give poor information about their care and size. Best to get your little guy set up in an enclosure and let him settle in for a couple weeks with minimal handling. Never let your tort roam your house as their are lots of dangers such as drafts, ingesting hair & dust, and they need a safe place to call home (the running around like crazy you may see if them being scared and wanting a place to hide and feel safe). If temps allow, as much outdoor time your tort gets in a secure enclosure (you may need hardware cloth over the top to prevent predators from getting in, or keep the tort in your line of sight) will help it thrive, but it may be best to let it settle into its indoor enclosure for a week or two first. Then, set up an outdoor enclosure a couple times the size of the indoor one, with hides, so it has a place to feel safe and its not overwhelming. This is a good read: http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies
Good luck and congrats on your shell baby!
I'd try to return everything and get:
-a large plastic tub, like Rubbermaid (Walmart, Target, home improvement store); the sides should be at least 12 inches high, and not clear is better; right now they have xmas tree totes out, which are about the largest you can find; if you get one of those, you might want to block off half for now with a vertical wall, and expand the enclosure as the tort grows; they do better with good air circulation, a temp gradient, and not being able to see out (therefore glass tanks aren't usually ideal unless very large and having paper so the tort can't see out, but plastic tubs are cheaper)
-cypress mulch (home improvement store or garden store) or coconut coir (pet store), moistened, about 4-5 inches deep if you have the height in the enclosure without the tort being at risk of being able to climb onto a hide and climb out (they are escape artists!)
-a lamp stand (ZooMed has some, pet store)
-hood fixture with ceramic socket (pet store or home improvement store; put the bulb with the face parallel to the substrate, not at an angle)
-Mercury Vapor Bulb (Powersun should be available in pet stores...if you didn't need it immediately I'd say get a Mega Ray or T-Rex Active UV Heat, but those are only available online, and you need to get this hatchling either good UVB or some real sun daily); this provides heat, UVB, and light all in one and is the bulb that most closely mimics the sun; keep this on 12-4 hours a day; you might want to use a household light timer from a hardware store
-if your house gets under 70/75 F at night: a ceramic heat emitter with a cage clamp fixture
-pure calcium powder to use daily over the food (human supplement store or pet store; no D3)
-a temp gun to accurately measure temps and provide a gradient from 75 to 105 F (PE1 is online for $25)
-spring mix (no spinach or chard) from the grocery store produce section
-water dish like a plastic plant saucer large enough for the tortoise to get in and soak, but not very deep (just deep enough for the tort to stick their head in to drink) (home improvement store)
-slate tile for food to keep it off the substrate and wear down the beak & nails (home improvement store)
-tupperware or a kitten size litter pan to soak the tort in for hydration, every other day for 10-15 minutes, baby bath warm water, a water level up to where the upper shell (plastron) and lower shell (carapace) meet, so the tort doesn't have to hold its head out of the water
-hides for each temperature zone in the enclosure, such as boxes or containers with vertical sides (to prevent climbing & flipping over), or fake plants (craft stores), flower pots on their side sunk into the substrate, etc
-checkup for general health and a fecal test for parasites from a reputable tort vet
I know this may be a bit overwhelming, but we have the best interest of your tort in mind. Hatchling can be very fragile. Sadly many pet stores and breeders give poor information about their care and size. Best to get your little guy set up in an enclosure and let him settle in for a couple weeks with minimal handling. Never let your tort roam your house as their are lots of dangers such as drafts, ingesting hair & dust, and they need a safe place to call home (the running around like crazy you may see if them being scared and wanting a place to hide and feel safe). If temps allow, as much outdoor time your tort gets in a secure enclosure (you may need hardware cloth over the top to prevent predators from getting in, or keep the tort in your line of sight) will help it thrive, but it may be best to let it settle into its indoor enclosure for a week or two first. Then, set up an outdoor enclosure a couple times the size of the indoor one, with hides, so it has a place to feel safe and its not overwhelming. This is a good read: http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies
Good luck and congrats on your shell baby!
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