No debris will get kicked out the cage If you have a drafty or cool house an aquarium will hold in heat and keep your animals warmer and protect them from drafts. You can often find used or cracked ones for 1 or 2 dollars per the 10 gallon at pet shops or garage sales. A cracked aquarium just needs to be taped along the crack with some clean, waterproof, packing tape and its good as new for small mammals. Urine turns to amonia fairly quickly. Pets will be trapped in an aquarium and the vapors can be irritating and damaging to an animal's health when breathed in day after day.
Aquariums are heavier than wire cages and thus more difficult to move or tilt for cleaning.
If dropped, they break. The sides of the aquarium will get pawprints all over it and will need to be wiped down with a wet rag now and then. It might be hard to find an inexpensive aquarium that is large enough to house many animals. The site for Fanciers of Rodents, including Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Hamsters, and other common and exotic rodents.