sick grebil?

Question
I'm an assistant. kindergarten teacher and we got a gerbil as a class pet about a week ago. we are very careful to have the kids wash their hands before they touch her she gets plenty of exercise and we keep food and fresh water accessible to her at all times. When I got to work this morning she was sleeping and when we got her up she seemed very lethargic appears to have what looks like hiccups. She did eat and had a small amount of water. At the moment she is sleeping  curled up in a ball. Is she sick? What can we do?  

Answer
She is probably sick and should go to a vet. When the children play with the gerbil is the gerbil already awake or do you wake her up to play with her. Gerbils really are only active in the wee hours of the morning and at dusk. When you disturb their sleep you also cause them to get grumpy and you could cause them to become sick since they don't have the rest that they need.