diff --git a/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes.py b/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes.py
index 9cc09a7a..d76ece00 100644
--- a/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes.py
+++ b/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes.py
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def redraw_state(self, state_str):
         if self.theming['border_width'] > 0:
 
             if type(self.theming[border_colour_state_str]) == ColourGradient:
-                border_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(self.border_rect.size)
+                border_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(self.border_rect.size, flags=pygame.SRCALPHA)
                 border_shape_surface.fill(pygame.Color('#FFFFFFFF'))
                 self.surfaces[state_str].blit(border_shape_surface,
                                               self.border_rect, special_flags=pygame.BLEND_RGBA_SUB)
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ def redraw_state(self, state_str):
                 self.surfaces[state_str].fill(self.theming[border_colour_state_str], self.border_rect)
 
         if type(self.theming[bg_colour_state_str]) == ColourGradient:
-            background_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(self.background_rect.size)
+            background_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(self.background_rect.size, flags=pygame.SRCALPHA)
             background_shape_surface.fill(pygame.Color('#FFFFFFFF'))
             self.surfaces[state_str].blit(background_shape_surface,
                                           self.background_rect, special_flags=pygame.BLEND_RGBA_SUB)
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ def redraw_state(self, state_str):
             bar_rect = pygame.Rect(self.background_rect.topleft, (self.theming['filled_bar_width'],
                                                                   self.background_rect.height))
             if type(self.theming['filled_bar']) == ColourGradient:
-                bar_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(bar_rect.size)
+                bar_shape_surface = pygame.Surface(bar_rect.size, flags=pygame.SRCALPHA)
                 bar_shape_surface.fill(pygame.Color('#FFFFFFFF'))
                 self.surfaces[state_str].blit(bar_shape_surface, bar_rect, special_flags=pygame.BLEND_RGBA_SUB)
                 self.theming['filled_bar'].apply_gradient_to_surface(bar_shape_surface)
diff --git a/pygame_gui/elements/ui_screen_space_health_bar.py b/pygame_gui/elements/ui_screen_space_health_bar.py
index d10a11fb..4533a083 100644
--- a/pygame_gui/elements/ui_screen_space_health_bar.py
+++ b/pygame_gui/elements/ui_screen_space_health_bar.py
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ def __init__(self, relative_rect: pygame.Rect,
         self.font = None
         self.border_width = None
         self.shadow_width = None
-        self.background_colour = None
         self.border_colour = None
         self.bar_unfilled_colour = None
         self.bar_filled_colour = None
@@ -237,11 +236,6 @@ def rebuild_from_changed_theme_data(self):
             self.shadow_width = shadow_width
             has_any_changed = True
 
-        background_colour = self.ui_theme.get_colour_or_gradient(self.object_ids, self.element_ids, 'normal_bg')
-        if background_colour != self.background_colour:
-            self.background_colour = background_colour
-            has_any_changed = True
-
         border_colour = self.ui_theme.get_colour_or_gradient(self.object_ids, self.element_ids, 'normal_border')
         if border_colour != self.border_colour:
             self.border_colour = border_colour