First of all welcome.

I would have to agree with you that a less established ball might be a little discouraging for a new owner. How every it is not impossible.

I see that you said that he doesn't use his hides this is more than likely because they are 1: to big and he is not feeling secure or 2: due to the temp difference they don't offer him the right temp he is looking for. active in a ball that young can mean it is stressed.

If your using a glass tank I would suggest setting in up along these lines.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32800

If your not I suggest getting an accurite thermometer the dial type sold in pet stores are bad known for being wrong by up to 15-20 degrees..

Allowing your snake at least 1-2 weeks to settle in before feeding is best (this means no handling, feeding or any contact other than spot cleaning and water changes.
When feeding live if my snakes don't eat with in 30 minutes I remove the prey and either try a different prey size or type. if they still don't eat then wait till next week.

Hope all this helped

again welcome and I can't wait to see pics