okay thanks alot... i just got him on thursday night and i put him in a 20 gal with one hida and a big water bowl, on paper towl as bedding... i only had one hide yeserday but i have two now... and he has a uth regulating at about 90 degrees when the probe on the thermotiter is touching the bottom... i got him at the pet store in our small mall... they alwayas have there tanks cleaned daily or every other day so i dont even know how this happened. he's has been fed with fuzzy mice at the store once a week and has been eating very well according to the employes, and they said they eat like crazy. and also i checked with the store today and they have a bigger prettier ball that doesnt have anything wrong (externaly) except for one scale that is bigger and thinner/sticking out than the rest of its scales and has a couple spots with tiny tiny peices of shed left on it (same with the smaller one i got) which i figure can be removed with a damp wash cloth. so should i go ahead and get the other one instead and just watch for the odd scale? the other one is alot brighter and a bit thicker than the one i got and they were clutchmates (according to the pet store) so it kinda seems like the other one has either been eating better/healthier than mine or is just bigger. what is you opinion. (im leaning towards getting the other one tomorrow)