Cages Sizes -
    One of the first things that people often ask is, "how big does the cage need to be?".  Of course, as a general rule, bigger is always better; buy the very biggest you can afford (both in terms of money and space).  But most people prefer to have some sort of minimum to go by; here's a few:

• Gerbils: A 10 gallon tank-sized cage is about appropriate for a pair of gerbils, or a family if it's temporary.  By the way, "10 gallon tank size" is about 10" x 20" or the equivalent, and doesn't necessarily mean I recommend keeping them in 10 gallon tanks... just that that's about the minimum size a cage should be!
• Hamsters: A 10 gallon or even slightly smaller sized cage is appropriate for a single animal.  Hamsters should not be kept more than 1 per cage; if you do try it, you'll need a considerably larger cage.
• Mice: A 10 gallon tank is more than enough for 2-5 mice; two mice could actually be kept in something around 5 gallons or so (*barest* minimum), but as a 10 gallon is niether much more expensive (actually they cost about the same as 5 gallons) nor take up much room, I'd go with that.
• Rats: Bigger animals, bigger cages.  A 10 gallon would be the absolute minimum for a pair of (small) rats, and I really and truly consider that to small unless they spend *lots* of time out of the cage; that really does not offer the space that I would consider appropriate for an animal that size!  A better, much more acceptable minimum would be around 14" x 24".

• Wire Cages:
• As in, fully enclosed cage made of wire, usually with a plastic or metal bottom.  They vary in make and model; some are considerably better than others (I mean *considerably* better!).  They can be expensive, particularly the larger ones, but also usually last longer than tanks.  One thing to take note of, is that some cages come with a grated wire bottom designed to keep the animals off their litter; these are bad!  They can cause foot problems from walking on the wire constantly, or if an animal gets foot stuck in the grate it could break it's leg.
• Wire Cage Advantages:
• Air movement; one of the big advantages.  There's just so much more ventilation in a wire cage!
• "Climbability"; most rodents like to climb, which is nearly impossible in a tank.  It's also much easier to hang things (toys, water bottles etc.) in a wire cage.
• Visibility, "smell-a-bility"; the rodent gets to experiance more of the "outside world" in a wire cage; rats, especially, often appreciate this!
• Easy-cleaners; most (depending on make & model) are pretty easy to clean.
• Disadvantages:
• Escape possibilities; a wire cage tends to be less secure than a tank with a good top.  Plastic bottoms can be chewed through; doors may not close just right; and especially in the case of mice, wire spacings any larger than 1/2" x 1/2" may lead to loose mice!  With my mice, I use tanks almost exclusively for this reason alone!
• More dirt around the cage; bedding is often kicked through the wire.  This depends a great deal on the depth of the bottom pan.
• Otherwise more access to the "outside world"; wires laying near the cage are likely to be chewed, as is any type of cloth (for a long time I had a wire cage with rats on the floor next to my bed; I quickly learned not to let my blankets lay on the cage... even in my sleep {!}... but still ended up with a rather "holy" blanket!).
• Prices:
• Vary a great deal depending on where you buy them, what features you need, etc. etc. etc.  Average around $20-$60 and up.  One of my favorite cages for rats is a Prevue ferret & small animal cage, metal bottom tray, levals and ladders etc., all around nice cage; the "single decker" (14" x 16" x 26") runs around $60, the double decker (28" x 16" x 26") around $80 or $90.  Bar spacing is, I think, 5/8" x 5/8".  A smaller cage that I've used for rat pups and large mice (could also be used for hamsters & gerbils), not as nice a cage but the only smaller-sized (but not *too* small) wire cage my local pet shop sells; it's about 11" x 10" x 22", and runs around $25.

 
• Tanks/Aquariums:
• First, there's two types of tanks; glass and acrylic.  Glass is, obviously, more breakable; it's also heavier and hence harder to clean, especially when you have tanks any larger than 10 gallons or so.  But, I still consider them better than acrylic, which tends to loose visibility quickly (easily scratched etc.), plus due to the shape that they're always made in (at least all the ones I've seen), there's less floor space compared to the size of the tank.  Last but not least, the tops made for these types of cages are nearly always plastic grated type things; easily chewed!  As a further last but not least (just thought of this one ;-), they're not made in large sizes; even the bigger ones I've seen aren't really the size of a 10 gallon glass tank, especially consider the lowered amount of floor space.  Both types of of tanks have certain advantages and disadvantages:
• Advantages:
• Cleaner; shavings and bedding are not kicked out.
• Fewer escape possibilites; with a secure top, escapes are rare!
• Aesthetic value; some people just prefer the looks of tanks... I suppose it seems like the animals are less 'caged' with no bars surrounding them!
• Disadvantages:
• Low air exchange; all that air just sits in there!  Dust etc. tends to settle to the bottom.  Problems with cedar and pine shavings (see below for more on those) are only made worse in tanks.
• The "greenhouse" effect; first off, never leave your pet caged in the sun.  But while it would take a while for the heat to kill an animal in a wire cage, in a tank it happens very quickly, even with only a small amount of sun; it's like being in a car with the windows rolled up... when that sun hits, it heats up *quickly*, and when you can't get out of the heat...
• No interactivity with the "outside world"; noise is muffled, smells distant from inside a glass enclosure!  There's just less stimulation for your rodent!
• Cleaning; tanks, and most especially large tanks, are heavy, bulky, and exceptionally hard to clean.
• Prices:
• 5 gallon - around $5-$10, wire tops around the same.
• 10 gallon - around $5-$10, wire tops about the same.
• 20 gallon - around $20-$25, wire tops around $15-$20
• 50 gallon - around $50, give or take; not sure on the wire tops?

• Gerbils - gerbils are definately tank animals.  They're the only ones I recommend tanks for in nearly every instance.  First off, they're *huge* chewers and need a 100% unchewable cage.  Second off, they're not big climbers, so that lack of climbing space doesn't bother them.  Third off, they are big diggers; they kick around shavings a *lot*; in a wire cage, even one with a deep tray, you're likely to end up with a huge mess!  Also, they prefer a layer of bedding much deeper than other critters to do their nest-building in; hard to do if you have a wire cage with a shallow tray!
• Hamsters - doesn't really matter; they live up to the basic advantages and disadvantages of both.
• Mice - well, I *would* recommend wire cages... however, that would be a bit hypocritical as I use tanks for my mice almost exclusively!  I have had *huge* problems keeping my mice caged; after trying wire ones (even with 1/2" x 3" bar spacing) and even a large acyrilic reptile cage (that unfortunately had a plastic, chewable bottom), I went back to tanks... with *very* secure tops!  However, if you can find an escape-proof wire cage, than that would be preferable over a tank as mice are big climbers.
• Rats - Wire cages.  That simple.  First off they need big cages; big tanks are annoying, heavy, bulky things.  Big wire cages are much easier to handle.  Second they like to climb.  Third they like the extra stimulation they get when they can experiance what's going on beyond their cage.  There's a few more advantages for rats in wire cages, too.  I never keep rats in tanks anymore; I have, when I was pressed for space (or rather, didn't have the money to buy another cage), but I prefer not to if at all possible.

Toys -

    Rodents like toys.  No really.  People tend to automatically consider rodents rather dumb and unintelligent, and admittedly they're not as intelligent as some of the animals I've kept (my African grey parrot is sitting in his cage behind me verbally asking to be let out... 'course he's also cooing like a dove and and doing something that sounds suspiciously flatulent, so maybe that isn't the best example :-P), but all in all rodents are pretty smart little critters.  More than that, they're *curious*, almost as a universal rodent trait.  They like to explore.  Now, in some instances you can let them have a certain amount of freedom - the bathtub, maybe... rats are the exception, I've had free-roaming rats in my bedroom (yes, I've been woken up by a rat licking my face) and this could also probably be done in a small apartment if you were *very* careful about "rat-proofing".  But as a whole, most people in most situations are going to be better off with *caged* rodents... and caged rodents need stimulation!  That is, toys ;-)  Sorry I'm rambling... I'm extremely tired, and when I get tired I ramble.  I also make gross spelling and grammar errors; I'll have to proof-read this once I'm awake...
    ANYHOO, back to the subject, lots of things can be used as toys; store-bought toys are great if you can afford them (the latest craze at my local pet shop is hollow coconut shells with holes in them - $10.  For a coconut shell.), but home-made toys are often just as fun, if not more so, for the rodents!  Some ideas:
• Boxes - are often favorites.  Just plain cardboard boxes, from little ones to shoebox sized boxes depending on the size of the rodent and the size of the cage.
• Toilet paper and paper towel tubes - another favorite, for rodents up to the size of baby rats.
• Containers - cardboard, whatever.
• Sticks & branches - favorites!  They can simply be placed in cages to be chewed on, or in wire cages can be positioned in the cages as things to climb on.  Make sure you get them from "safe" trees; willows, citrus fruit trees, maple, dogwood, and many others are safe; some aren't.  Also, don't get them from trees which are near busy streets or highways; believe it or not the fumes from passing cars get make the wood poisonous.
• Anything else that can be climbed on, climbed into, or chewed!
Rodents aren't too picky about toys; you just have to remember two points; they like to explore, and they like to chew.  So anything that can be explored or chewed or both is likely to be a favorite!
 
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