My 3 year old female BP has not been interested in eating since Christmas. Up to this point she was feeding on F/T mice then rats, gradually getting them larger. She ate the last two "weanling" rats I had in one feeding in the first week of December. She ate one "small" rat a few days prior to Christmas Day, and since then has not eaten. Based on advice from my Vet I took her in for an exam. She was given a clean bill of health, he said she was a beautiful healthy snake. He did recommend de-worming medication as an annual treatment, so I allowed it. The next 10 hours were a nightmare. The medication sent her in to anaphylactic shock, something he said was VERY rare in Ball Phythons. She was placed on oxygen and given medication. She survived the ordeal (2 weeks ago), but is still not showing any signs of wanting to eat.

I am now wanting to improve her second hiding space by enlarging the base of a "tree" in her enclosure.

So here is my first question to anyone out there who has great knowledge in this area. What kind of wood should I avoid putting in her enclosure? I was thinking about a hardwood like maple for the base expansion, but I do not want to do anything that can possibly endanger her again.

My second question is if anyone has any idea why she would suddenly stop eating? I have tried going back to the smaller rats (weanling), but she is not interested in those either.