# Rat with swollen foot. What should I do?



## MelissaRose (Dec 22, 2020)

Hello! I just joined this forum to ask a question about my rat who has an injured foot. 

A few days ago when I let my two rats out for supervised playtime I noticed that one of them was not walking on his left front paw so I picked him up to look at it and noticed that it was swollen and a little purple. I don't know how it happened, but I'm assuming he stepped on it in a weird way or fell when he was climbing in his cage. I am also not sure if it is broken or just sprained but it has not improved over that last 2-3 days. 

I am keeping him in a carrier inside their larger cage at night so he won't keep climbing, and so he can still see my other rat, and I try to keep him from running around or using his paw too much. 

I'm trying to decide if I should bring him to the vet, but I'm not sure if the vet can really do anything about an injured paw. I'm also worried about the stress of going to the vet making it harder for him to heal, but I want to do what's best for my ratto. 

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Here's some pictures. It's hard to get a good one because he obviously doesn't like anyone touching his paw. 

























Thanks in advance, I would appreciate any replies!

-MelissaRose


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

What does the underside of his foot look like? It could possibly be bumblefoot (Ulcerative Pododermatitis – Rat Guide), do have uncovered wire floors in your cage?


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## MelissaRose (Dec 22, 2020)

The underside of his foot looks normal, and there was a short amount of time when some of the bars weren't covered but they had plenty of places where they could get off the wire, and I have changed the setup of their cage since then so there isn't any. 

I gently squeezed his leg to see where it hurts him and he squeaked a little when I got to his wrist, so I'm guessing the swelling is from his wrist and not his actual paw.


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

I think you will have to consult a vet


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## Enne (Dec 12, 2020)

That looks pretty swollen. I'd try to get him to a vet ASAP.


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## _dizzy_ (Mar 28, 2018)

To me that looks like a broken paw, get to a vet


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