A good breeder will know every one of their animals. They won't overwhelm themselves, and if they do get overwhelmed, they will ask for assistance. A good breeder does not "power breed" their animals, but knows that some animals do best on a lighter breeding schedule than others. A good breeder will not dump their unwanted animals at the shelter, and has a contingency plan to prevent this from happening, should anything ever happen to them.
You can tell an animal which has come from a good breeder - it will be socialized, well groomed, well fed. It will not smell awful(remembering that some animals do have a smell of their own!) it will not have stains or matting. An animal from a good breeder has a foundation built to help them have a better life. The breeder tries to give their animals the best life possible.
A good breeder will support you, through information and a fall back, should you ever be unable to have your animals. They care more about where the animal is going than when it is going, and their willingness to be involved does not end once the money has changed hands.
A good breeder, in fact, is not in it for the money. There are easier ways to make money, and most would be more lucrative than breeding animals. A good breeder generally has accounting books which are heavy in the red, and do not skimp on their animals' care. They do not want sickly animals, underfed or matted animals. They want healthy animals that are a good representation of their breed, who can be bred to pass on these genes. A sickly animal does not do well as a parent, nor does a sickly animal do well on the show table(or in the ring, or over the jumpy things, or whatever.)
A good breeder is breeding for the right reasons - to better or promote a breed, because they love that breed/species. They may win shows and make friends along the way, but ultimately, they do it because they love the animals. They perform health and genetic tests on their animals, to ensure that they are suitable for breeding, and are not afraid or ashamed to pet out one who does not pass these tests.
Now, I may have some good breeders up in arms, because they don't fit into all of these things. Maybe they don't offer a take back policy due to fear of illness, or perhaps they don't have a contingency plan for their animals' care. They might be lacking in one or two areas, but the main things, the reason they are breeding and the care the animals receive, are always the same.
Cages don't have to be shiny new. Things can be worn, well used. The esthetics are not as important as people make them out to be - the standard of care and how the animal is provided for does. You can use old equipment, as long as it is safe. You can provide ugly eyesores for shelters, as long as they keep the animal warm and dry.
Oh, there are so many things that make a bad breeder bad, but the main reason is why they are breeding. Bad breeders are always capitalizing on the latest fads... Think "Designer Dogs", which are simply crossbreed dogs with a fancy name and a giant price tag.
They don't care about the health of their animals, beyond the animals breeding and the female raising the babies to selling age. Their animals are not socialized, and not vetted, even for injuries or illness. While a good breeder might have gained the experience to doctor their animals' minor injuries and illness, a bad breeder won't even go that far.
The main definition, to me, is being only in it for the money, unwilling to spend even a single red cent on the animals, as that would cut into their profit.
They do not show, they do not interact with anyone who shows, they do not encourage people to show the animals bought from them. Why? Because they know they are breeding poor examples of the breed.
Bad breeders do not perform the health and genetic tests that are so important to so many species, and they never spend the hours agonizing over whom to breed with whom. For a bad breeder, the only requirements are that one have male parts, and the other have female parts, and who cares what the outcome is! This leads to the sick and dying animals that you often hear about coming from breeders. The problem, of course, is the unfortunate souls who buy these animals, that end up with diseases that could have been prevented, is they lump all the breeders together. All breeders are bad.
There are so many other little things that could go into this. So many small ways that make a breeder good or bad. But the main thing, what it always comes back to, is the money. If the only reason you are wanting to breed is to make money, then you are not breeding for the right reasons. In fact, to make money, you will have to cut every corner, you will have to skimp every way you can, and you will have to force those puppies(or kittens, or bunnies, or whatever) out the door as soon as is legally possible, if not sooner.
It is not unethical to buy an animal from a responsible breeder. No matter what anyone says, it is not. Good breeders are why we have such a variety of breeds, because someone saw something they liked, and spent years developing it into a standard. People pour their heart and soul into raising and caring for the breed that they love. They spend hours agonizing over what match would be most perfect, what pairing would advance their herd.
If you love a specific breed, you can thank a breeder for creating it, and many many more breeders for sharing your love and continuing to help that breed develop and advance.
As always, respectful comments are appreciated and desired. Disrespectful comments(which include cussing, name calling, unfounded accusations, obvious anger issues) are not appreciated, and will not be approved.
Since comments now require approval(Thanks Ruth!), I will be checking 2 or 3 times a day, as I am able to, to approve comments. Your comment could take 24hrs or more to be approved, since I do have a life off the computer. I do greatly thank you for understanding.