new corn snake question

Question
QUESTION: HI here my questions,
We are buying our soon to be 7yr her first pet a corn snake. We have done tons of research but I have found some conflicting information about how soon you can hold a corn snake after it has eaten. Some say 24hrs and other say 48hrs which is it? My second question is how soon do they poop after eating? And my last question is is it really ok to use paper towels as lining for the cage I figure it will be easier for her to see messes the snake makes. How many layers do I need to keep the snake from harm from the under tank heater. Thank you so much for you time.

ANSWER: If you are talking about a baby corn snake I'd wait to hold it until the lump goes down, and that depends on the snake and the meal.  If it's an adult one day is fine.  There's no real timeline for the poop, generally if they are fed once per week they will poop once per week, but again nothing definite there.  Paper towel is fine, a single layer will do.  The snake should be able to lay directly on the glass above the heater w/o being burned...  PROVIDED the heater is working properly.  Put you hand on the tank above the heater weekly, if you can't leave your hand there because it is too hot your heater is trash.  Let me know if you have further questions and GOOD LUCK!

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QUESTION: HI once again.  Were getting a hatching corn snake  online and would like if it needs to be left alone  in its new tank for  few before we start to handle it. Thank you.

ANSWER: Not a bad idea to let it sit until it eats the first time.  How much are you paying if you don't mind my asking?

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QUESTION: We are paying 55 and shipping is 35 it's for a Lavender corn. Theres no pet stores around here that sell snakes. The one I did find was an hour away and they sold out. Thank you for your time.

Answer
That's a lot for a baby corn.  Make sure it comes w/ a written guarantee of both live arrival AND feeding.  For that price it should.  Good Luck!  If you're around Atlanta there is a big show there next weekend.  To check for shows in you area try www.kingsnake.com and then goto the events tab.