My boyfriend got his ball python from Petco 10 years ago and while he used to be a picky eater [live white mice only] he's slowly starting to take rats now and we don't attribute that to coming from Petco, even though they did feed him live and it took a while to get him on f/t, we attribute it more to the fact that he was in a gigantic tank until about a year ago. He rarely missed a meal unless it wasn't a live white mouse, but the pet stores around where he lived always had live white mice, they were just expensive.

The Petsmart near us is very good with their reptiles and I know at least one of people working in the reptile section keeps multiple types of snakes and various other reptiles, because we had a long talk when I was smitten with a Crestie they had but sold before I could get the money for a tank and him. Also other people that work in the reptile department are willing to learn. Just the other day I went in there and looked at the corn snakes and the BP while getting crickets and the girl working the reptile department asked me a few questions about BP's after she found out we have two of them. BUT the closest Petco to my apartment doesn't take good care of their reptiles at all. Dirty tanks, sick snakes, etc. Again, BUT, my friend works at a Petco by my mom's house and they take excellent care of their reptiles mostly because everyone they hired for the reptile department all keep various kinds of reptiles. Just depends on who the managers choose to hire or if people that apply have enough experience, sometimes they might need a reptile person but no one that applied has herp experience.