I use zoomed under tank heaters, I always buy mine and monitor the temperature for a week before hand to make sure it’s not faulty, and then attach a rheostat which allows you to control the amount of heat being given off. Most people keep their hogs on aspen but because I tend to sneeze when messing with any kind of woodchip or wood shredding I looked into other substrates. i currently use Carefresh bedding which is great because it will hold tunnels and is very absorbent. When they poop the carefresh more or less adheres to it and you can pick it up without a huge mess, I clean the cages out completely and wipe them down every 3rd or so week. Carefresh is paper based so you cannot feed your hogs on it, but I prefer to feed in a separate container anyway so that’s not really a problem. The best advice I can give you is to become friends with breeders! I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve met, their experience has really helped me. Ask for a feeding chart or record upon purchasing your snake so you know what he was feeding on and how often. Good breeders keep records and really care about their animals. Good luck! Hogs are an addiction!