No hibernation = infertility is mostly false for corns. Plenty of people have had corn snakes breed without hibernating them. It's helpful but not mandatory. And while I believe that it is possible to manipulate conditions to inactivate a male snake's sperm or prevent a female from ovulating, i do not believe it is permanent. Though it might take a couple of years in the right conditions for the male to produce viable sperm again.
This answer is based on my experiences with bullsnakes and pine snakes. My corns have bred willingly, but that may be the result of applying what I leaned from the bullsnakes.
A bad shed is not a life threatening condition. The first sign is when the eyes turn blue or opaque. It's rather similar to the appearance of the eyes of a human who is wearing heavily fogged glasses. After a few days, the eyes clear, and a few days later, the snake sheds. Once the skin on the nose and lips is loosened, the snake is finished in 5 or 10 minutes.
Putting the water bowl over the heating pad is good. Putting a damp rag or sponge in the hiding box may also help raise humidity. I'd only do this after the eyes clear, and it would need rewetting a couple of times a day.
If the snake does not shed properly, then the owner must peel the old skin off him. First the snake is soaked in 80-85 F water for an hour, and then the owner holds the edges of the old skin while the snake crawls out. A rough, wet washcloth helps to snag the edges of the old skin, too.
It's always a good idea to check a shed skin to be sure the eye caps and the end of the tail come off.
Bill and Kathy Love's The Corn Snake Manual costs around USA $10. It covers shedding and other things about corns in more detail and better wording than I have done here. I think it's worth considerably more than it costs. It would be a great Christmas present.
