I'll try covering the sides of the tank and the newspaper idea.
It seems like I've done a lot of things, but a lot of them were tried at the same time. Like the f/t small rat showed no response and so I brained it, still no response.
I'm pretty sure he is stressed, that is pretty easy to tell. How to calm him down enough for him to eat is what I'm aiming for.
Also, for the heating source I have a 75 watt wide range lamp that sits on the screen top of the cage. I dim it down at night and it cools down. Humidity has always been between 50-60 percentile range. What other heat sources would you suggest?
I've had a lot of problems with heating mats.
Another thing I didn't mention is that for a fasting snake, he's pretty active. Right now hes actually roaming his cage. He recently escaped but we found him the next day. (my fault) I think its a bit strange that he has so much energy for not eating.