I go to Petco and its by far, the best pet store in my area. The animals are always very healthy, very active. They have a proper diet, clean cages, and knowledgable employees. Now at Petsmart, on the otherhand, I have seen unweaned baby birds for sale. I have seen incredibly sick birds that had labored breathing, closed eyes, and looked as if they needed vet care immediately. NEVER have I seen anything like that at Petco. I hardly ever shop at Petsmart because it hurts so bad to see sick animals like that. I know there are good Petsmarts too, but my point in saying this is that it really depends on the store. With chains as big as Petco and Petsmart, they have hundreds or thousands of stores throughout the country. Of that many stores, it is obvious that some will be bad. I have been to 6 Petcos, 3 in my home state, and 3 in other states, and from my experience, they have all been excellent. I love Petco, have always shopped there, and always will.