Living is far from thriving
Plus,not all signs of a cage being inappropriate are entirely obvious and often go unnoticed.Just because someone you know does something and it seems fine doesn't make it okay or species appropriate,and when it comes to properly caring for animals their needs as a species must come before a desire to have them.
I'm sorry if this seems overly harsh,but I'm merely being realistic and honest.I would suggest looking into other animals that perhaps would fit your available space and preferences much better,for example mice(single males only or multiple females).