Very Early Bumblefoot

One of my ratties, Iggy, has developed a small sore on one of his feet. A few days ago, he sprained/pulled his right back foot or leg. For about three days, he held it completely up. He's using it fine now, just favoring it a bit. However, he seems to be getting a sore on his left back foot, which I assume could be from putting all his weight on only that foot for a few days. It isn't an open sore and doesn't seem to be painful to him, but it is swollen and a bit red. I called my vet, but she doesn't have an appointment for a non-emergency until Thursday. She just said to keep it clean and monitor the size... but, I'm bad at waiting.

I browsed the forums and based on advice I saw, I did the following:

- Cleaned area with antiseptic solution
- Soaked the affected foot with an epsom salt compress
- Removed bedding from cage (had been aspen) and replaced with fleece.

It's worth noting that I had just switched from paper bedding to aspen because one of my rats is super smart and tries to snack on paper bedding. I read aspen can also cause bumblefoot just because it's somewhat rough? Iggy's cage is a single layer with shelf and igloo, plastic tray bottom, no wire floors.

Is there anything else I can do? I' hoping to nip this quick before it gets worse.

Thanks!

You are doing great! You could add extra padding to the cage, like a few fleece scraps. I personally don't like any wood bedding, even aspen or hemp. But I don't think it's definitely the cause because lots and lots of people use aspen and have no issues with bumblefoot. If you feel it's getting infected or worse, you could try a course of Baytril.

It's possible it's just a pressure sore instead of true bumblefoot. Can you get a pic?