Why the answer for a ball python is weeks, not days
An adult ball python usually needs one meal every two to three weeks, so on almost every day of the month the correct number of meals is zero. This stocky, slow-moving python is built for feast and fast: it takes a single rodent, digests it over days in a warm hide, and then conserves energy coiled quietly. Feeding an adult on a juvenile's weekly rhythm, let alone daily, produces a fat snake with a small-looking head on a thick, soft body. Offer the meal in the evening, fully thawed and warmed if frozen food is used, and let the snake come to it on its own terms.
Sizing the single meal correctly
An adult ball python's meal should be about as wide as the widest part of the snake's body, which for most adults means one medium rodent at each feeding. Resist stepping up to oversized prey to stretch the interval, because very large meals are more often refused or regurgitated than comfortably digested. Present the rodent with tongs, with a gentle movement that triggers the strike response without tapping the snake itself. If the ball python investigates and turns away, withdraw the prey and wait until the next planned date; a snake that is not hungry tonight is giving you data, not defying you. Keep records of prey size so changes are deliberate.
Refusals: the ball python complication
Refusals in an adult ball python are common enough that they belong in any honest feeding answer. Adults may fast for weeks, particularly in cooler months, during a shed cycle, or when enclosure conditions drift, and a fasting snake that holds its weight and behaves normally is usually monitored rather than coaxed daily. Track weight monthly through a fast, because steady condition separates a relaxed fast from a problem. Never leave live prey unattended with a refusing snake, and rotate nothing frantically: changing prey colour, scent, and timing all at once tells you nothing. A ball python losing noticeable weight, breathing with its mouth open, or showing mites or retained shed alongside the fast needs a reptile vet.
Weight, not appetite, sets the interval
An adult ball python will often accept food more frequently than it should, so willingness is a poor schedule. Use the two-to-three-week interval as the frame, then fine-tune with body condition: the spine should be gently rounded, not buried in fat rolls nor sharp under the skin. Weigh the snake on the same scale and note shed dates beside feeding dates, since appetite usually returns after a completed shed. Warm-side temperature and a secure, snug hide change feeding response as much as the menu does, so check both before concluding the snake needs a different prey type or a shorter gap.
Keeping a fortnightly routine visible
An adult ball python fed every few weeks is the easiest pet in the house to lose track of, especially when holidays and helpers intervene. A written log of the date offered, prey size, taken or refused, shed, and weight prevents both the accidental double feed a week apart and the unnoticed six-week drift. Keep handling light for a couple of days after a successful feed and note that in the plan so a well-meaning visitor does not lift a digesting snake. In KinsLe, Care Teams lets you assign this ball python's fortnightly feed and monthly weight check to specific people, each marked complete with a timestamp, so the long, quiet schedule stays exact.