Injured foot

Question
Hi!  We have a 2 female ratties that we bought from a breeder about a year ago when they were just babies.  They are not altered.  A couple of days ago my son noticed that the right rear foot on one of the girls was swollen and she was not bearing any weight on it.  Now this morning the foot looks even more swollen and she is still not using it.  The foot does not have any open sores and is warm to the touch.  We have no idea what she managed to do to herself but they are in a wire mesh cage (solid bottom) with padded sleeping areas top and bottom.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Answer
Sounds like she's broken it; or at least very badly sprained it. Really the only thing you can do is try to keep her a little more contained and comfortable. Check the rat guide (www.ratguide.com) on how to dose her with baby ibuprofen, and that'll help bring the swelling down as well as any inflammation (which I'm sure is the source of the swelling). Other than that, it's a waiting game. Most likely she'll be just fine, it'll just take awhile to heal.