The light is not necessary at all. The light may even be one of the sources of stress to your snake. Some reptiles require ultra violet light as they bask in the sunlight in their native circumstances and get vitamins from the sunlight but ball pythons remain hidden in the daytime and only come out at night and are never really exposed to sunlight. If you get rid of the light and provide 2 dark hides (not those half log types)one at the warm end and one at the cool end of the tank and leave the snake alone without handling it or bothering it for one week it should start feeding and stop striking at you. If you get a plastic flower pot and cut the bottom 2" off and cut a hole in the center of the bottom you will have a free hide that is as good as any and far better than the half log hides commonly seen in pet stores. The stores use that kind so that the customers can see the animals in the hides but your snake would not feel secure with the exposed ends.