My first snake!

Congrats and welcome!! I would check out the Ball Python caresheet on this forum if I were you. Check out Kevin McCurley's book, "The Complete Ball Python" too.

I also recommend ditching the lamps and putting on an UTH with thermostat. Ball pythons do not need light, I see you switched out to a red one, but that will still dry out humidity. Seems like your issue isn't humidity though, so if you need it to help warm up the enclosure, continue to use it as long as it isn't sacrificing humidity.

What are you temps in your house? 68 seems a little cold! It's better to have the snake in a room that stays about 75-80, if you can.

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Originally Posted by Saltcitysound

Well I just got a digital thermo and hygrometer and it's saying it's 66F in my room.
The tank now reads 68F and 71% humidity. The temp is still going up, but very slowly. I am going to feed him tomorrow, I just want to see if my set up works okay now. I just got back form Petsmart and bought a different lamp. I didn't know that the white bulbs caused stress, so I bought a red lamp. Hopefully it all works out quickly!

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You definitely need to up your temps... A LOT! You want your ambient temps to be low to mid 80's. Cool side of your tank (measured on the floor, under the substrate) should be 80ish. The hot side (also measured under the substrate) should be 90-92. Not sure what you are using to measure your temps, but I wouldn't put too much faith in those little dial or strip thermometers. Dollar for dollar you can't beat an Accu-rite thermometer/hygrometer from Wal-Mart. They are less than $15 and are pretty accurate.

As far as f/t is concerned, like the others have said, make sure they are thawed completely, then place them in a bowl of warm water or hit them with a blow dryer (or heat bulb) for a few minutes, paying special attention to their heads. You'll want them to be 100-105 degrees. That said, balls can be one of the hardest snakes to get started on f/t. Some will take right too it, others will literally starve themselves to death before eating f/t. Keep that in mind because there may come a day when you'll be forced to feed live. Balls are notorious for this.

I'll also second that Daybreaker said. Hopper mice are going to be too small unless you have a very small hatchling. Do yourself a favor and get your ball started on rats. They are more nutritious than mice and your ball will very quickly outgrow mice. Switching to rats early on is usually a lot easier than when they are adults and have been established on mice. It really sucks having to feed 3-5 mice a week to a snake and even feeding multiple mice, your snake may not reach its full potential on mice. Pick a rat that is equal to 10-15% of your snake's body weight and feed it every 5 days.