Hyperactivity after fall?

Question
I have a new baby girl named Jasmine. I can't pinpoint her exact age, as she was bought from a pet store that doesn't specify. I have bought from the store before, however, and never had problems with the rats they've sold to me to raise. All I can really pinpoint age wise is that she's under 3 months.

I've had her for only a few days. As usual, she was very shy and timid, but slowly got a bit more used to playing and exploring outside of her cage. Any moment I'm home, I try to keep her out to play, or at least just hang out on my shoulder. An hour or two ago, she suddenly got up and wandered off my shoulder, falling a height of about 2 to 3 feet. She was obviously shaken by this, but appeared to be fine other than being seriously miffed.

After calming down, however, her energy level began to spike. I've never seen her so hyperactive. She was wandering all about my neck and shoulders without any fear of falling again (which I made sure she did not). I tried setting her down to play and she ran quickly and began climbing everything around. I picked her up to play on my shoulder and she continued running around, then pooped and peed and kept running. I set her down in her cage so I could clean up, and she began running around there as well, playing with toys she'd previously ignored, eating food and jumping around from level to level.

I'm not sure if this hyperactivity could be related to the fall at all? Is there anything I should be worried about related to the fall or the sudden burst of energy?

She's been playing all day, it seems surprising for her to have such a sudden spurt of energy.

Thank you!

Answer
Hi Kelsey!

I am glad she is ok....a 3 foot fall can break a rats neck or back. I have seen this so many times I lost count. Although rats are good with balance thanks to their tail, they lack accurate vision. Ever notice a rat that sits and sways their head back and forth as if they are watching a tennis match?  Many of these rats have pink or ruby red eyes but some dark eyed rats will do this as well. They do this in order to calculate the distance between objects and to help them focus better and thus in turn are able to judge depth better, often doing this before making a jump.   
I prefer not to let my rat ride my shoulder for this reason, I fear they will fall. I guess ignorance is bliss because if I didnt know what can happen and see it first hand, I would probably continue with shoulder riders.  

As for her fall....the thing you do NOT want to see is lethargy. Had she gotten sleepy and slugish, like humans this is a sign of a consussion.
Sounds like she is fine, probably got herself a bit wound up from adreline getting her going.  As long as she isnt limping or holding herself in any unusual way and wasnt showing any neurological signs such as loss of balance and again, lethargy, I would not worry. I am glad she is ok!

Hope this helps!

Sandy