Well first off congrats on the snake. As far as the temp of your snake it depends on your temps in your tank. You need to have at least 2 temperature gauges and 1 humidity gauge. 1 temp for the hot side and 1 temp for the cold side (this is where you water should be). Cold side should be between 78-82ish area and hot side should be around 88-93ish area, just to get an idea. Humidity should be around 60% and 70% during shed cycle. As far as f/t feedings, everyone has their own method. When I used to feed f/t before my girl stopped taking it was defrost the meal by putting it in the fridge the night before. Then warm it up before the feed in hot/warm water, dry it off (not all the way most will eat damp food), then offer it to your snake. Some people also use blow dryers to warm up the meal instead of water. Some people let their snake constrict and let it be and some play with the tail for like 15 seconds after the snake constrict so simulate a live rat. Not my cup of tea cause then you have to do it every time if thats what your snake gets used to. Do you know the age and weight of your snake. If you dont have a scale I would recommend that you buy a cheap food scale so you can monitor the weight of your snake and the food you offer in grams. As far as the hide goes, snakes like to feel the as much of the inside of the hide as possible. So dont get one that is too big or it may not be comfortable. If you only have 1 hide I would recommend putting it on the hot side and if you have 2 then put the other one in the middle somewhere so your snake can feel secure and regulate body temperature. Well thats it for my ramble. If you have anymore ?s then their are tons of far more experienced people here then me and they will help you out anytime. Again congrats on your first snake.