Another rat question Where to buy them

Alright, I am set on the fact that I will be buying two male rats very soon. My best friend has two rats currently, and bought one from Petco and one from a place that sells baby rats as snake food. Do you guys/ladies think it really matters where I get my rats from? I was considering the pet store that sells them as food...not only because I'd be saving two of their lives, but also because I want two baby rats so I can hand raise them (Petco and PetSmart tend to only have the adult rats). My only concern is the health of the rats from the food store. I'm not sure what to do. What do you guys think? I need some opinions. Also, does anybody here prefer a specific breed of rat? If so, please explain why.

Thank you =)

IFyou BUY from a pet store you ar enot 'saving' them you are merely making an opening for 2 more too take their place

However a good petstore [whilst still getting their rodent from mills]will know their source and their source WILL be inspected and controlled where a backyard breeder will not

for two well socialised boys then a breeder is best, look for one that is approved somewhere like

http://www.goosemoose.com/

http://www.nfrs.org/

or whatever is applicable in your country

a breeder will be able to give you papers detailing the history of your boys and any problems within the lines and will be aware of where all the siblings have gone and how they have got on