pity, RIP.

2ft tank will be ok for a pair of gerbils, normal 2ft, for good, you can put up to 4. too crowded not good.
for the sand, try not to use it too much, you can put some same in a pot then leave it in the tank, gerbils will auto go and clean their self in the pot/container.
on the other hand, although gerbils pee not smelly, once if use sand it will stick on the sand, like cat pee in sand, sort of.
if you use sand as a based, means no bedding, normally gerbils will dig, more often will hid inside the hole, only night come out.
and if want to pet or play with them, will be very hard, and will scare the gerbils get frighten of you.
so prefer you put bedding (not pine bedding) then put some toys and hay inside.
you can check some picture on the 1st page there, around like that.
what shop tell you, please not follow exactly, some info is useful, some is nonsense.


sorry zazi, i forgot to contact you back once i free. totally sorry.
i will take the 2 of them.
but then i thought last time you left 1 tank only, how come now still got the other tank?


about the inbreeding, definitely NO NO NO...
for scorpion, tarantula and some exotic animal (i forgot what term already, intervebrata, i think, or spell wrong), is ok for inbreed, cos due to genetic something, you can find it in google.
but then not for mammals. there will have genetic problems. just like human. surely NO INBREED, as what has mention in the 1st page.
that's why you can see nowadays those hamsters, guinea pig, gerbils, they don't live long, shortly died already.
if want get from the shop, make sure no family, at least separate family, to reduce the inbreed chance.
cos last time i bought few from shop, end up not long only, some of belly tumor, some nose bleeding, fur lost, tail bleeding.
all these not happen due to not clean, fighting or what, is due to inbreed.
i remember the belly tumor one, the one i got is colour Lilac, just bought not reach 2 months, died already.
so be careful on it. get separate family, or you get on from 1 shop, the other one from other shop. keep the inbreeding to minimum or if can zero.
since you going to get a male and female (if and only if you plan to breed it), if not please just get 2 male or 2 female.
cause once breed, will have a lot of work, you have to keep in different tank for male and female or avoid inbreed and so on so forth.