Well a few suggestions I can add to help you in your quest to becoming a happy ball python owner is that no matter where you get your new bp make sure you ask the questions you need to know to get an idea of how healthy your potential BP is. Examples: how often does he/she eat, is the BP partial to only frozen and/or live mice/rats. Check the snake for mites.. Mites are easy to treat as long as you detect them early on. In my experience with Petco/Petsmart is most the animals I've bought at those places the BPs have mites. Mite spray is all you need just read the instructions on the bottle. I personally try to find private parties to buy snakes from or reptile shows but don't forget to ask questions and check the snake thoroughly.