Heating pad and bark

I actually dont know the size of it. He will be two years old in march. Hes a runt. but i had him in a 10 gal, and then the 55 gal was givin to me, so i got him in there and i use the 10 gal to feed him in. id trade the 55 gal for a shorter wider tank, but i cant find one local.

A 55 isnt too big... its just a pain in the arse to get temps/humidity where it needs to be... Personally Ive tried getting a 60gal to work with proper temps/humidity before I had a "snake room" and I spent countless hours and $$$$ up the wazoo trying to get it to work... bout 2 months after i started I canned my hopes of getting the 60 to work. Id check out rubbermaid bins as they work great.

Just my 2 cents:
Have you ever checked out a cage or rack system? Given the hassle of maintaining temps and humidity in such a large tank, you might want to think about changing the snake's environment.
Also, I would *never* place a UTH inside of a tank. Snakes are not domesticated an because one has not burrowed (to the knowledge of the owner) does not mean that it will never burrow. Also, urates are absorbed by the substrate and result in wetness that could result in very bad things happening if you have the UTH inside your tank. Please use as directed!
Lastly, many people choose not to feed in a separate container given the propensity of the ball python to experience stress when so doing. Many people feed them in their own enclosure with fine results and greater ease for both owner and snake.
Good luck with your snake!

Well this tank is a setup at my office for "display". Also happens to be my 2 year old male that will be ready for next year!!

Should i use something else? cause the weather is suppse to be getting colder this weekend.