Curled up tail and running sideways

Question
My rat has recently begun walking with her tail curled over her like a pug's tail. I looked this up and it said it was wheel tail. She has NEVER used a wheel, I do not have one and the store I bought her from does not have one either. She has also been running sideways. Not completely to the side like a crab, probably more diagonally. After she had adjusted to being in the cage and being with her new cagemate (from the same store only a few weeks older) I was walking around my apartment with her on my shoulder and she leapt off and landed on her head before running off. Do you think this accident cause her issues, do you think I should should take her to the vet or is she just a little strange? These girls are my first rats so I'm freaking out that I did something wrong.

Answer
I have seen rats with wheel tail and that was the first thought when I was reading this till you said she never had a wheel.  The running sideways and the tail up like that tells me that she could have been injured from the fall, which is why I always tell people not to let rats ride on their shoulders.  Too many rats die or are seriously hurt from falls and they are fast climbers. Right now I am always chasing down my three young male rats who are always trying to jump onto window ledges etc..in the rat room during play time. They climb up my back like I am a tree and get on my shoulder as I sit on the floor but I never stand up with them even though I am only 5 foot tall, the fall would still hurt them if not break their neck and kill them.  A rats tail is an extension of their vertebrae, so if she was injured from the fall this could explain the tail and the walking sideways could be a neurological sign too, from the fall. DO NOT beat yourself up about it, though, because we all learn something new every day and you are not the first person to let your rat on your shoulder nor will you be the last.  In fact people assume the rat is supposed to sit on your shoulder, not thinking they can fall in a split second.   You need a vet though. This vet may prescribe something for inflammation. It could also be an inner ear infection, but that wouldnt affect the tail like that.  I can help you find a vet because trust me there are more vets in this world that SHOULD NOT see rats than should.  Let me know your location and I can give you some names.  Also please see my site, sandyscrittercity.com to learn all the accurate info on proper rat care.  Hope this helps! please keep me posted!