I had to laugh Connie because that still gives me a start. Walking in to find one of my best female breeder rats flat out on her back, looking dead to the world is a heart stopper. I've seen them do it either with a litter or when heavily pregnant. A quick rap on the enclosure tends to wake them enough to give me a glare and then they pretty much go right back to sleep.

If the female is really dead, the only thing to do is either feed off the offspring or you can try putting them with the female that is closest to delivery. She's the most likely to be able to produce milk for them. The only problem is that once she delivers they may push her new pinks away from the available teats but if you feed pups then you really only need them nursing on her for about a week or so anyways. If she ends up with a dual litter like that, make sure she has TONS of food and water all the time. You can also remove the bigger ones a couple of times during the day to allow the newborns to get full access to mom. She may well split them up into two nests but just keep an eye on the newer ones that they have visible milkbands during the pink stage.

If possible it's always best to buddy breed your female rats so you can have at least two with babies the same age. That way if you lose a mother or need to even up litters, you can easily move them around.