No, they are different hides. He'll use the cooler one sometimes but not often, he usually uses the warm side one. Yes, I remove all the substrate, wipe everything down with diluted alcohol, then wipe down with wet paper towels, and replace all the substrate. Yes, I let him settle in and he's eaten 4 times since getting him, I've had no problems with feeding. The heating mat is usually around 99 and I have a thermostat attached to it. It is under the tank and I have the substrate covering it and the hide over that. Is that too hot for him? He was using it the first 4 weeks but maybe it's too much now?