It's easy for Petco to "overprice" ball pythons. Anyone into herps knows not to go there for them. They would seek out a breeder. People that are not into herps don't know about breeders and/or how to contact them. Petco sells to the average person who, as we all know, generally is very uninformed about reptiles. I would buy a normal from Petco for $75 if I didn't know I could get a much healthier one for way cheaper.