First BP, want to get my stories straight so he's well off :)

[Fox]

Hey There!
Not sure about how you guys feel about newbs stepping in on your posts, but after browsing the threads and replies this seems like the place with the answers...

I got my Ball 'Cid' at the pet store, which I'm pretty sure you experts would frown upon, but regardless, I simply adore him! He's about 28" long, however I'm unsure of his age, sex or whether he's CB or CR. But he's so skittish sometimes, I just don't know. When I lift his hide up and touch him i do expect him to curl up in a tighter ball, but he quivers and flinches... it's killer to think that's he's uncomfortable with that! Once he's handled he doesn't do it anymore, but he's extremely head-shy although he wasn't at the store when I met him, and back then he was just roaming around my hands, but now he seems to just want out, he'll hang himself as far down as he safely can looking for a way to get down. Eeek, I've had him about 5 weeks and I'm wondering if this will pass or if I'm doing something wrong. The guys at the pet store didn't know scratch so I've done most of my research online, and there's so many different opinions I figured tailor my own question on a good looking forum.

For diagnostics sakes, here's how I have him set up:
Cid's Terrarium is glass, 36"x18"x18", with the back and both sides painted opaque on the outside. Wire mesh top. He has a hide on either side that is nearly prefect sized for him, very form fitting, not spacious but he gets in it without making it move. I measure the air temperature in the cage with cheap stick on thermometers and hygrometers to keep the air 90 on one side and 80 on the other, but I have digital probes under each hide and keep them at 93 and 79. I have a mix of forest bark and plantation soil for substrate. I keep a 150W red heat lamp on the hot side on at all times to maintain 90 degrees and I have a 75W red heat lamp on a timer to keep the cold side from dipping too far below 80. I realize these dry out the air but I don't know a better way to keep it warm! I mist a lot. (I think he hates the sound). His hot hide has a UTH underneath, but I'm having a hell of a time controlling it (light dimmers don't work, and it sometimes gets too hot, I'm not quite sure how to go about controlling it... It's some extra work to check the hot hide temp as often as I do!) Two water dishes and some driftwood (bleached, rinsed, soaked, boiled and baked) for him to climb. I also have some live plants in there, and a full spectrum light on a timer for 3 hours late morning and 3 hours early evening to help the plants grow.

Besides being skittish and seemingly petrified at times, this guy has no other problems. . . completely shed on the 18th, no visible signs of mites or RI, and has absolutely no problems eating! I feed him every 5 days, a small rat or a big mouse, and he gobbles whichever down in a heartbeat, loooves to eat!! I obviously know I didn't buy a puppy to cuddle with, but Cid is not the same as he was at the store and I simply worry that I'm doing something wrong. I know I may just have to wait for him to acclimate but It seems smart to ask rather than wait.

Any suggestions or criticisms would be greatly appreciated... I have absolutely no pride attached to this thread, I just want to make sure I'm doing it completely right, and will do whatever it takes to! Thanks so much for your help, you people who unselfishly reply to help posts on forums are the internet's saints.