I'll admit I got my girl from a local Petsmart, and other than the tank size, she seemed well taken care of. However, the only local Petco is inside San Francisco city limits, so they can't legally sell ball pythons. If I were to buy my mice from one, I'd go to Petsmart, because I prefer the Arctic Mice Petsmart sells over Petco's brand, since they are cheaper and individually packaged. However, I've since found a local independent shop that I would rather give my money to, and has mice from a local breeder.