New to ball pythons and need desperate help!

[stevepoppers]

Tank size is good.
Toss the log. Get another cave identical to the one you have. Put one on the hot side, one on the cool. You don't want him not thermoregulating because he's only comfortable in one spot.
Scrap the lights if possible (see below). If ambient temps drop below 75, use the infrared over the water dish.
Moss is fine, just don't keep it WET or it could lead to scale rot.
Night drops are not necessary.
Prey size is good. 10-15% of his body weight up to 150g is another thing to use.

Get something to heat the tank from underneath. Ball pythons are nocturnal, so any light is just unnatural for them, and they use belly heat to digest. You can use the heat pads, but in my experience a product called Flexwatt heat tape is exponentially cheaper. I got it from http://www.reptilebasics.com. Get a piece that will cover 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank bottom. I'm thinking a foot of the 11" wide will do. You can cut between the black lines to fit. Get the clips and have them attach it for you (free). Get some foil tape to attach it (walmart probably). It's really sticky and holds up to heat better than duct tape or any other.

You also need a thermostat no matter what you're heating with. This is probably the best for the price. There is much better out there, but this should be fine for one snake. Place the probe between the Flexwatt and the glass with foil tape.

You need something digital and preferably with a probe to measure the temps. Dial gauges and stick-ons are useless. There's a common one called the AccuRite Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station. It's found around the lightbulbs/DIY section of walmart. Also found at Home Depot or possibly Lowe's. The alternative is a temp gun, which is probably more accurate, but you have to move the hide and substrate to measure the glass under it. Place the probe under the substrate under the hot hide right against the glass of the enclosure above the Flexwatt. Use this reading to set the thermostat. You want something in the low 90's.

I know I wrote a lot, but all I'm really saying is switch to belly heat and get a digital thermometer.

It's good you moved him somewhere quieter. Him hiding is a good sign. When you feed, don't remove his hide. Just drop it in and watch. NEVER leave a live rodent alone with him. Then leave him alone for two days or he might puke. Yeah, not good.

I think you've done pretty well so far. One last warning: don't listen to petshops! They're notorious for giving out bad information. And ball pythons are notorious for not eating, so try not to let it stress you out. They can go up to a year if they're big enough.

Read the caresheet if you haven't. Man, I'm long-winded! Good luck and enjoy your cool pet.

Crap, one more thing. Change will stress him out to some degree no matter what. It's better to change everything for the better sooner rather than later, because the benefits of the change will alleviate probably more stress than the change itself causes.