new pet snake!

Question
hello. i would just like to thank you for all the help you have given me. i finally got a corn snake yesterday and all your assistance has been really helpful. just a few more questions. how long should i leave my snake alone (to get used to its new home)? how long am i allowed to handle it and how many times a day? how much bedding should i put? i already have some newspaper on the bottom of the tank so it doesn't burn itself on the UTH i have. also, my snake is pretty small (still feeding on pinkies) and i keep it in a 20 gallon high tank. around how many hides should i have for it? also, do i absolutely need a climbing branch for it? also, is it normal for my snake to constantly hide in its hide box? will it ever come out? how often does a corn snake come out and explore?
sorry for all the questions

Answer
Congratulations on your new snake!
You can have as many hide boxes as you'd like, but make sure that you have at least 2, one on the cool end and one on the warm end. I would leave the snake along for about 4-5 days to get used to it's new home. In general, you can handle a snake as much as you want, just don't handle it for 48 hours after it eats or it could regurgitate it's food. I'd also take it slow in the beginning and just handle it a couple times a day until you think it has adjusted.

For the newspaper bedding, just a couple of layers of newspaper is fine. It does not need a climbing branch at all. And yes, they do hide almost constantly. They mainly come out at night and when they are hungry.

One other thing. Your aquarium is quite large for a baby snake. That's ok, the only problem that you may have is with feeding. Sometimes young snakes can be shy about eating, and it helps if they are in a smaller space when food is offered. If your snake eats it's pinkies fine, then no problem. But if there are any problems with him finding his food, then you may want to try putting the snake and pinky in a smaller container, like a plastic shoebox, and place the shoebox inside the aquarium so that he can't escape. Again, this is only if he can't find his pinky in the big aquarium. That way he's in a smaller space with his food.