Cages

What gerbils need-  cages


When shopping for your gerbils,  its important to keep their needs in mind over your wants,  at least to some extent.
For example,  cages!
When walking through the section of rodent cages,  you will see bright,  colorful "Crittertrails" and other such products.  They are usually made of plastic,  with part of the cage being wire,  like a bird cage.  They have tubes and wheels,  lots of fun right?
Wrong!
As far as your gerbil's needs go,  these cages don't line up.  
They aren't big enough.
They don't provide room for burrowing.
 And,  they also aren't good for your wants,  either!
These cages,  being plastic,  can be chewed through,  allowing your gerbils to escape.
Your gerbils will kick bedding out of the cage and make a mess.

Next,  when shopping online,  you may find cages called "gerbilariums".
Gerbilariums are,  usually,  acceptable cages.  They can be rather pricey though,  and aren't common in the U.S.,  so I do not use them.

Finally,  lets check out the reptile and fish section of the pet store!
Aquariums,  that's what you'll find here.  Perfect!
An aquarium is the perfect cage for gerbils.  They can't chew out of it,  it holds bedding,  and you can buy them in all sorts of sizes to fit the gerbils' needs.  Also,  you can buy "toppers" on the internet,  which are sort of like custom bird cages that go on top of the aquarium.  
So what size of aquarium should you get?
The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons per gerbil.  So a 20 gallon tank (aquarium) for a pair of gerbils.  Some people prefer the rule of 10 gallons for the first gerbil,  then 5 gallons for every gerbil after.  So,  15 gallons for a pair of gerbils.
My suggestion would be to go by the first rule if you can.  If you can't,  then go by the second.  In the end,  you want to give your gerbils enough room,  cause cramped housing increases the risk of them declanning.