Rat bleeding, jumping, and running frantically after neck collar.

Okay please help as I am very worried. My rat is a female at around a year and 7 months of age. Her cage mate passed away about 3 weeks ago. She recently grew a very large tumour (A bit smaller than a fist) and it was growing very rapidly, was warm, red in certain spots, and squishy. We had her tumour removed 5 days ago and had a neck collar put on 2 days ago. She was fine with it up until about 10:55 PM today. I was in the living room trying to comfort a new puppy and I heard a very loud bang. I ran over to my room (Where her cage is) and looked at her. She was jumping very high and slamming her head on the top of her cage. She jumped about 4 times. I took her out and put her on my bed to try and see the problem. Her collar was a bit frayed and bloody. Part of it was torn off while another part was loose and another was stuck on her teeth. I was trying very hard to get her collar removed and she was running the fastest I've ever seen her run in her life. I then looked and I couldn't see the collar near her teeth or her teeth. There was a lot of blood coming from her mouth and on her neck which I assume came from her mouth. Her collar looked very tight around her neck so I was trying hard to remove it. The second I removed it she just stopped and calmed down. I put her back in her cage and she just started eating, drinking, and cleaning herself. Any help as to what may have happened is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Rats usually can not cope with neck collars and I am surprised that she was able to tolerate it as long as she did.
Sounds like she panicked and was possibly injured because it was too tight, and then she was injured by the collar when she tried to remove it, causing her to become even more desperate and panicked.
Poor girl, I hope she is ok .... hopefully she was not seriously injured
Good that you were home and able to immediately help her

Thank you so much! She seems okay now but I was very worried because she's had another tumour and her collar for that stayed on for 7 days with no issues with her. Thanks again so much!

She probably tried to remove it and got it stuck in her teeth. I am not a fan of e-collars and only use them in desperate situations. Good pain management post-op at home atopa most rats from bothering their incisions. I prefer high doses of metacam for a couple of days and keeping the rat in its usual cage with their cagemates if possible. Was your girl on oral pain medication?

So good that you were there and helped her out. She should recover now and heal right up. Sorry about your loss.

No she wasn't on the pain medication as I couldn't get her to keep it in her mouth. She's never taken any sort of pain medication but she always takes the antibiotics. (Even though this pain medication just has to be rubbed on the gums she would move her mouth away and none would get in it.)

Rubbed on her gums?

Normally a vet sends you home with Metacam/meloxicam to give once a day for a few days. Metacam doesn't taste great but you can put it in food or syringe it right in their mouth. A rat in pain will pick at incisions hence the need for the collar, most rats with pain managed never need anything at all. If you don't have metacam you can always pick up infant liquid ibuprofen and give that (much better taste) although it has to be given every 4-6 hours.

Yeah vet said to rub it on her gums. I'll try infant Ibuprofen next time if she needs another surgery. (She probably will since she has had 2 tumours in 1 month) Again thanks again so much everyone!

We usually give metacam and tramadol. You can have the tramadol flavored. Our ratties like chicken pot pie. Are you giving the pain meds with a syringe? If properly medicated for pain, as the others mentioned, the e-collar isn't necessary. Hope she is doing better.