corn snake newbie looking some info!

I took on an adult corn snake, and decided to keep it! sorry Tan!

need some advice:
whats the best way of heating the tank? at the moment, heat is a heat bulb/lamp.
the thermometer is reading 29/30, is this too warm?

best substrate? it is a wood chipping, change to aspen?

cleaning out? how often? there is a slight ammonia smell coming from the viv, so think needs cleaned out?

humidity? have you to mist vivs for corn snakes?

water? the usual water bowl is in, does snake need one large enough to lie in if it wants to?

you really should know all this before buying an animal

I know!!! I took the snake for rehoming, and decided to keep it.

we all have to learn somehow, even if thrown in at the deep end!

i noticed you didnt give any answers to my questions, so why bother replying.

The HSI have excellent caresheets on site for various reptiles, and the corn snake care sheet can be found here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That should answer most of your questions. Corns don't require tropical temperatures. How big is the tank? 29 ish is quite warm for a corn, but that depends on where you are taking the measurement from - is it under basking light? Your corn should have a cool end also quite a few degrees lower than that.

I personally don't like aspen for snakes - it can become caught in hemipenes and mouth. But it is a personal choice, and depends on whether you feed in viv or not.
If there is an ammonia smell coming from viv, with all due respect you should not have to ask on a forum if the snake needs cleaning out. Would you like to live in there? I would spot clean as required and do a complete clean out at least once a month.

I never gave my corns a water bowl large enough to lie in. They don't tend to sit in water unless they are too hot or have mites, I have found.
I agree with heathenmatt also - you really should have carried out some research before making the decision to rehome an animal. You aren't doing the animal any favours otherwise! Corns are hardy and once you have the initial setup right, it is difficult to mess up too much. It might be worth posting a pic of the snake and setup here so we can help however we can. Also, if there is anything I can help you with don't hesitate to pm me

Wish you the very best of luck with him/her,

Lisa