Male not eating again, and some other questions

[themasseffect]

Hello all, new to this forum. I have a June 2011 pastel orange ghost male ball python. Had him since April. And a blood python on the way. Anyways, my little guy has decided to stop eating for the second time this winter. At the start of winter he went off food for about 5 weeks, I stopped handling, filled his tank with balls of paper, etc. all the little tricks. Then finally someone recommended that I start handling him again, and he ate. Few weeks of eating go by, and he refuses his meals again. But seems interested, I've stopped handling again, filled his tank again, and bumped his cool side temps from 80 to about 83. It's only been 3 weeks, but he is extremely small for his age. At one year old (when I first got him) he weight under 150g. Got him from a local breeder. Anyways, I've got him up to just under 500g on an empty stomach.
As I'm sure the first thing everyone would ask me, his temps are 90-93 day and 80-83 day, and at night his hot side drops to 85. Humidity is 50-60%. I have a misting system set up to must for 3seconds every 3 hours. He is on reptile carpet and paper towel, the paper towel is covered in cypress mulch. He is fed in his tank, on the side without the cypress mulch. He has a cold hide, hot hide, and a humid hide. He is in a 40gal PVC tank. He is 2.5feet, so the tank isn't to to big for him. I've been told to keep him in that tank since he has eatin in there multiple times, and that I move to a plastic tub could be counter productive. Plus I would have to rework all his temperatures and the humidity.

Since the start of winter he has stayed almost exclusively on his cold side, and no longer comes out at night (which he always did), he used to play in/on his magnatural hides and large branches.

Im assuming the hunger strikes are from the breeding season. He is a picky eater, but I can handle that, but I would like to hear any tips, suggestions or thought on his second hunger strike.

Now for my other question, out of curiosity, I popped him to see if there was any sperm plugs, and there was, there was, but they looked old, almost brown, and hard. I would imagine that would be uncomfortable. Should I be checking for them more often and removing them? I'm don't have any man parts myself, but I would imagine having something stuck in such a sensitive area would be painful.

[themasseffect]

Anyone? I know it's a long read.

[The Serpent Merchant]

What are you using to heat the cage?

Are you sure on his age? under 150grams at one year old is really hard to believe.

Ball pythons don't eat all the time. All you can do is provide proper husbandry and hope for the best. What are you offering him?

[Nathair]

I saw something online that said if you take your picky eater and put him with his prey in a small container like a deli cup over night, that will generally work. I do the same thing to feed my hognose except with a paper lunch bag. He'll have his food down pretty quick as long as I do that. Of course this only applies if your feeding f/t

[themasseffect]

I am positive of his age, I saw him in the breeders ads and pictures after he hatched and ogled him for a full year before moving and being able to purchase him. I had no idea he was that small though. It was two feedings later that I got a scale and he weighed in at 145g. He was tiny. Not necessarily underweight, just a puny little cuttie.
I have heat tape and control it with a herpastat.
He has a problem taking larger prey, as in he won't take it, so I typically give him something smaller like a weaned mouse, and then put a jumbo mouse in his mouth, but am moving him up to rats when the mice run out in my freezer. He isn't shy at all, he is usually exploring, isn't head shy at all, nothing. But I feed him in his tank, usually he is in his hide and he comes shooting out and takes prey within 5 seconds. I've left food with him overnight before, and he just uses the mouse as a pillow....
And yes frozen thaw.

Edit: I should also mention that in his first hunger strike, he lost about 100g over the 5 weeks. This time he has only lost 30g in the first wek( might have passed a urate that I missed), but not losses anything since then. I hate to see him loose any weight, it's been as low fight to get him too 500g, I'd hate to see tht work go backwards.