young gerbil suddenly very lethargic (ill?)

Question
Thank you for your speedy reply.  At first I was wondering if she
could possibly be going  into labor, but now I doubt it.  Her
breathing has slowed way down (less than 1 per second), and
she is even more listless.  Her head is resting on the Ever fresh
litter, and now she is totally unresponsive.  I worry that each
breath will be her last.  The male continues to groom her and
sleep on or by her.  My suspicion from what I have read on the
web is that she had a massive stroke.  If/when she dies, how
long should I wait to introduce a friend to the surviving male?  
Should it be a male or a female?  He looks so sad and lonely, I
know we will want to get a new friend for him.

Thank you!
- Susan
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Followup To

Question -
We have a male and a female gerbil about 3-4 months old, and
all was well until suddenly this morning the female was
completely inactive.  She was not laying in her normal nesting
corner, and was very unresponsive.  We had played with the
gerbils in my daughter's bedroom last night, and all seemed
fine.  This morning the female is breathing somewhat fast and
can barely scoot across their cage.  The male is very attentive to
her, grooming her all over, and seemingly concerned about her.  
She does not appear to have diarrhea, or any apparent injuries.  
She is just mostly very still, unresponsive, and her eyes mostly
closed.  My daugther (and I too) are very concerned about her.  
(BTW, I already called the vet, and I cannot get an appointment
until this afternoon, and I am worried that the stress of moving
her and separating her from her mate will kill her.)  Is there
anything we can do for her?  What is likely the cause of such a
sudden illness in a young gerbil?

Thank you for any advice.

Answer -
have you had any babies from these gerbils and are you sure she
isn't pregnant? it does sound like she's going into labor and the
only reason I say that is because there's a male in the cage with
her and she's showing all the signs of going into labor. If there
wasn't a male in the cage with her than I would say she is having
serious problems with breathing and that could be from an
infection or allergies.

Answer
it sounds like she went into cardiac arrest and I don't think she's going to make it past the night since she has turned for the worst. If/ when she passes on if you truly want to have babies or don't mind having babies you can put a female in with the male. make sure it's a young female.