Ill be completely honest, there feeders which arent bred for high quality. The ones i got were kept on pine which has them sneezing. But they reproduce great. Only had my 1.4 set for 2 months and have 4 litters. I keep them on Aspen now so the babies stay healthy but just because its a private breeder, doesnt mean there any better then what the pet stores have. Pet store rats all depends on what pet store. My local pet store is a mom and pop store which get there rats and mice local. Large chain stores dont care for there animals nearly the same way. I dont see a problem getting from a pet store as long as you know where the rats or any animal for that matter are coming from.