Get some needle nose pliers and pull out the staples from the half log. With the humidity they will start to rust fast and neither you or your snake needs to get scratched by that.

Also half logs are not the best for balls because they are open on both ends with large doors. They are still very usable though. Use construction paper and cover the back and maybe the sides of the tank. That will black out the rear hide door and help insulate the tank a bit. Then take a big clump of moss and put it in the front door. Moss is easy to crawl through but it will block the light and add to the feeling of security within the hide.