Question on closed chamber for leopard hatchlings

[Trevor Ostrander]

I have a new hatchling leopard tortoise and have it in a closed chamber. I live in upstate NY so outdoor time is limited to the summer when warm. I have read a bunch and have started letting it outside for 1-2 hours to get natural light. I was hoping someone can give me a more specific guide line for when to give it more outdoor time. It is not bone dry here but humidity is nowhere near 80%. Is it age related, size related? I don't want to keep it out of the closed chamber too long too early. If there is already a thread on this could someone just send me the link? Sorry if I am asking something that has been answered before. I did try to look for the answer first. Thanks in advanced for any help.

 

[wellington]

If you can, I would take him outside everyday that it is warm. The sun is the best UVB for them. A couple hours a day is good, always giving shade and I would give him a warm soak when you bring him back in. If he's older then a hatchling, a year old, I would put him outside longer. Coming in and sleeping in a humid hide will prevent the pyramiding, specially with the humidity you say you have outside.
My leopard got started wrong, so he is pyramided, but that's what I did for mine. Under a year, a couple hours a day and year and older, all day, which equaled around 5 hours a day. I too only have summer months to get him outside, so I wanted him out as much as possible.