Im a newbie to the snake world as well. so take my advice with that in mind.But I have read that the "Day/ night" cycle is important for snakes. So if your light is emitting some light around the clock, that might be messing him up a bit.
Just my 2 cents- im sure better experts will have more to offer on this subject.
As, for hides. We've had our snake home 3 weeks and tried a couple different hides. It wasn't until her first meal (a week after we had her home) that she went in the hide. She'll stay in there for a few days processing food, then comes out and again sleeps behind the hide, or under the "fake Greens", so she's hidden. This is unusual from what I've read around here about snakes & hides, but seems to be her "thing". Im going to try a reptile basics hide next. Who knew they could be so "fussy"
Good luck- its been a fun experience for our family to learn all we have about snakes.