My New Corn -- And First Snake!

[Ithael]

Hey everyone,

Every since I was young and all through college I wanted a snake, but decided to wait until I had my own apartment to take the plunge. Now that I'm finally moved in and comfortable, I picked up a yearling corn snake about a week ago from a local, non-chain pet store with good rapport. There were a few month old corns available, but when I saw/held the yearling they had I knew it was the one I wanted. I named him/her Shaper, and s/he has been really easy going, adapted well, and has taken to spending most of the time chilling on the warm side of the terrarium. That said, as a first time snake owner, and because Shaper did have a previous owner, I naturally have a few questions/concerns.

Here's my set-up: As it is currently winter in Seattle, my apartment is heated and kept between 65F-70F. The terrarium has a warm side and a cold side. The thermostat keeps the warm spot at about 85F, and the cold side ranges from 68-75F. I have a larger hide on the warm side, and a slightly smaller one on the cold side.

My questions:

1/ I read that the hides should both be the same size. Is this necessary? If this is the case, I'll probably go purchase another of the same hide to put on the cold side as I currently have on the warm side.
2/ I have not seen Shaper touch his water since being put in the terrarium (I've changed it regularly). I don't stare at the terrarium 24 hours a day though, so I'm not sure if I've just missed it. Is this normal? How much do corns drink?
3/ When I first got him, he was very lively, but since then he has calmed down and stayed mostly under the warm hide. Yesterday when I took Shaper out of the terrarium for my first time feeding him/her, I noticed that the snake's skin was not as vibrant as it was earlier in the week. I've added some pictures. I think s/he's about to shed, but I just wanted to seek out some confirmation. Shaper did, however, feed just fine!
4/ Today when I got home from work, I noticed that Shaper was yawning, multiple times in quick succession. Is there anything I should be concerned about, or is that just standard procedure?
5/ Based on the pictures, can anyone confirm that Shaper is just a normal and not any particular morph?

http://imgur.com/a/vdKag
The top image is from the day after I got her/him.
The bottom two are from today.

I'm relatively certain I'm just overly concerned, but I appreciate the help/feedback.

Cheers,
Damon

[Spiritserpents]

Your snake is most definitely getting ready to shed! He's probably on the warm side because of that, as well as the fact that some corns prefer to be warm all the time. Differing hide sizes usually aren't a problem, but you might make the cool side hide the same as the warm side to see if he uses it more.

Re: drinking, I have some snakes that I've had for 3 years and have never witnessed them drinking. I'm pretty sure they are doing so.

With regards to morph... can we see a picture of his belly? Does he have checkers, or is his belly patternless (or maybe with some red speckling)? His side pattern looks diffused to me.

[Ithael]

Thanks for the help, I feel much better. Her/his eyes have cleared up today, so s/he is definitely within a few days of shedding. Here are some photos of the snake's belly:

http://imgur.com/a/TjTR4

[Spiritserpents]

You have a diffused then! Congrats on that.