Dont worry about it man. Welcome aboard. My fiance actually had a similar experience when he was younger. First snake he got theres was something wrong with the entire clutch and every one of them died within two weeks. The second he got as a replacement the pet store employee told him he only needed a 15 gallon tank some newspaper and that was that. He tried to do some independant research and he got a bad thermostat and a ceramic heat lamp but neither were really up to snuff. The poor snake suffered from bad feeding habits, horrible sheds due to lack of humidity and stunted growth because of lack of space and bad eating habits. The poor thing made it five years under those conditions and then accidentally broke his jaw striking at the glass because he couldnt shed well enough to see. At that point he couldnt take food if he wanted to and didnt last long. My fiance swore of snakes for a few years after that and upon hearing the story of montey the unfortunate ball python I did extensive research before buying the little girl we have today. Anyway, my point is mistakes happen, and there comes a point where you can only move forward a more educated person. And now youve a got a forum to help you out on top of that = P