Swollen Front Paw

Question
Hi - I just bought my first rat who is seven weeks old. She has a swollen front paw which I noticed because she was 'chewing' on it. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I can't really tell because I've never had rats before. It doesn't look like bumblefoot either. Is there anything I can do, or will she heal it on her own?

Answer
Bumble foot (typical) has alot of people fooled, including many Vets. Please refer to my website, sandyscrittercity.com and scroll down the index to find the page on bumblefoot. Many people expect to see bumblefoot look like an ulceration on the sole of the rats foot, but there is another type of infection that is also linked to bumblefoot that makes the entire back paw swollen.  This doesnt sound like your rats problem though, since it is involving her front paw and bumblefoot only seems to cause problems with the hindlegs, not the forelimbs.  I wanted you to go over the page on bumblefoot for future reference, however, and of course, since your a new rat owner, there are tons of things to learn about pertaining to your pet  rat, from proper diet (the seed mixes sold to the public is nothing but absolute garbage and has no beneficial ingredients what so ever, just fats and things that rats cannot digest properly (such as alfalfa!)  You can litter box train your rat, learn how to make a great play area for your rat and also, learn why you should have two rats of the same sex rather than just one (well I can tell you here....rats are super social creatures that absolutely NEED a cagemate to be happy unless they are aggressive males that prefer to be alone, and this is not usually apparent until the rat goes through puberty around 6 to 9 months of age.
Also,  you need to read over why female rats should really be spayed by a very qualified Vet at an early age. See the page on mammary tumors too. This is one reason I buy males now.  You can always buy a male companion for your girl and have him neutered and her spayed, or simply have her spayed and they can live together happily. Males and females tend to get along just fine, too esp once they are no longer intact. Dont forget to read about proper quarantine, too....which is vital should you plan on getting another rat or even if you dont get another rat but visit a pet store that sells rats or visit friends that have their own rats...you need to know the proper procedure for cleaning yourself up as well so you dont expose your rat to anything that you may carry back on yourself, which is very possible.   Anyhow, now that I have blabbed on about stuff you did not even ask me about....lets go back to the foot.
I would need to see a photo of it. You can attach it right here when you do a follow up. Only phone photo is able to be attached though but you can send me more to ratcareconsultant@yahoo.com

I would really hate to see her be put on childrens ibuprofen and to safely dose her, she would need weighed.  You can try applying a warm compress, but with her being a baby yet, she will no doubt squirm like mad.  Are there open sores on her paw at all?

Where are you located? Its important to have at least an idea of the Vets available in your area that treat rats and its not an easy task finding one that isnt clueless and just taking your hard earned cash, while all along they are guessing their way through treatment anyhow, more times doing more harm than good. Its a good idea to have a few names of Vets so you can have them for future use.  Let me know your city and state and I will be happy to give you some names. If her paw gets worse or does not appear to be healing, she may need to pay a visit to the vet anyhow.