First of all, welcome to the forum!

You are very fortunate to have a ball python that eats with no fuss. Usually once you get a snake, you let it settle for a week or two before even offering food.

You say he looks like he's grown.. it's highly unlikely he grew 2 inches in 11 days. BPs typically grow at a rate of a foot a year when they are young.

Your snake sounds like a real gem. Most young BPs are extremely headshy, and will even bluff a strike at you if you get too close to their head.

I would actually say a 40gal breeder is too large for a young BP. Your snake may feel uncomfortable in such a large enclosure. Typically, the cage should be 3/4 the length of the snake. So right now, a 15 or 20 gallon would be fine. An adult BP is fine in a 30 gal.

I personally don't use a heat lamp as it is very drying, and you don't want your temps to go too high. If you decide to use it, make sure you have it on a 12 hour on/off cycle. Perpetual light is stressful for a nocturnal snake.

Pine bedding is a huge no no. Newspaper is great, just put enough layers over the heat pad until it reads the right temperature. (temp guns from Pro Exotics are wonderful http://www.proexotics.com/)

Good luck with him!