Welcome Victoria,

Personally, I use plantation soil (Ground coco husk) and it helps me keep my humidity stable.

Here is what I use for all of my wonderful snakes:

Exo terra 36"x 24"x 18" Terrarium
12 Watt UTH pad
100 Watt IR bulb on a Flukers Lamp Dome (Adjustable)
100 Daylight bulb on a Flukers Lamp Dome (Adjustable)
Exo Terra 2.0 Repti Glo natural light UVB bulb (Vitamin D3)

2 Hides, large water dish, decorations as you see fit to make him/her feel right at home.

Snakes generally do need a "cool down" period after going to a forever home. This lets them adjust and learn their new environment. Please remember not to handle on a daily basis as they can stress out even more so. Once every few days is plenty.

Tuna juice sometimes helps a fussy eater take a mouse.

Again, welcome to the forums and I hope this gives you ideas to make your perfect home for your ball python.

- Matt