Helen Fones
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quietscientist.bsky.social
Helen Fones
@quietscientist.bsky.social
320 followers 370 following 330 posts
UKRI Future Leader's Fellow / Senior Lecturer and chief Science Do-er of the Fones lab, Exeter. Pro: Evidence-based thinking, kindness, pet rats, coffee.
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quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek: Walter!
He's the second of our two new rescues. A lovely, soft, gentle boy, currently being introduced to our other boys and acting like he's not twice their size. Sweetheart ❤️

#Rats #pets #PetRats #FancyRats #SkyRats #RatsOfBluesky
October 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - we just collected two new ratties who were in need of a new forever home. He's one of them, Cyril. Settling well into his new life.
#rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #ratsofbluesky #ratsky
A roan top eared rat in a fluffy tunnel; just his face shows. Now he's taking and stretching out one paw towards us. Here he's having a cuddle and eating a treat And here, he's observing and exploring his new home - sitting up in an alert posture, whiskers forward.
October 19, 2025 at 6:05 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - one of our past boys who deserves to be remembered - Grindle! He had the softest fur and the softest brain - such a daft, sweet, cuddly soul. And very very cute with it!
#rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #RatsOfBluesky
Grindle. A dark grey rat with a crooked white blaze running at an angle from the left side of his pink nose up to the center of his forehead. He had pink dumbo ears and white whiskers and he's looking at the camera with his shiny black eyes Here he's sitting up in a hand. His back feet are sticking out towards the camera and he's holding a piece of cucumber like it's a steering wheel for an invisible go kart. Here he's snuggled into his human's cardigan for a cuddle.
September 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Quality science reporting from the Mirror here 🤣🤦😭

Virus or fungus? At least pick one!
#science #ScienceCommunication #misinformation #embarrassing
"Cases of the Candidozyma auris virus have been increasing and spreading in hospitals. This dangerous fungus, once limited to a small number of isolated cases, has now spread to every continent, except Antarctica."
September 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - Ace again! Seen here taking his medicine (in chocolate spread) like a trooper! We thought he might be off to the rainbow bridge but once again the vet has done magic! Long life and good health, Acey boy! 🥰 (& same to his vet 😃).
#pets #rats #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #ratsofbluesky
September 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - Pingu! This is not just bliss, this is chocolate spread bliss... Daddy's fingers aren't quite clean so they must be licked - it would be a sin to leave a single molecule unlicked! Too busy & happy to care if he looks ridiculous🤣
#rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #RatsOfBluesky
September 14, 2025 at 5:10 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
I think Dusty makes a good #RatOfTheWeek this week. He loves flowers, he doesn't care who knows it, and he won't let a treacherous 'ramp' stop him from picking them, either!
#rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #ratsofbluesky #cute
September 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek shall be Muffin, who doesn't get anywhere near enough Rat of the Week attention. He's such a good boy. Here he is, taking on a DIY project and also, being cute. Which, frankly, is his forte. Little round buddy.
Muffin, a black dumbo rat, stands on a table trying to choose the correct size spanner. He's got his paw on a number 16. His bright black eyes are looking directly at the camera Here Muffin is eating a treat. That's his favourite activity, for sure.
August 31, 2025 at 7:59 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - Waffle! He loves a spoon full of tasty and he loves a snuggle. He's obsessed with licking us, and he's just an all round Good Boy
#Rats #Pets #PetRats #FancyRats #SkyRats #RatsOfBluesky
Waffle, an agouti and white top eared rat, sits up on his hind legs to lick a treat from a spoon Waffle, an agouti and white top eared rat, sits up on his bum with his hind legs in the air, licking a treat from a spoon. He looks undignified but he doesn't care. Waffle is inside someone's jumper for snuggles. Just his little face is poking out through a hole (made by one of his accomplices)
August 24, 2025 at 1:02 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek - it's Dusty! He's far, far too cute for his own good. When we adopted him he was alleged to be a scary biter! But he's the loveliest natured boy. He loves to sit in my hands & flop backwards as i scritch between his shoulders...
#Rats
#pets
#petrats
#skyrats
#RatsOfBlueSky
#fancyrats
Dusty, a nearly completely white faded roan rat with jet black eyes, sits up on his back feet in a man's lap, with his front paws holding the man's hand. Dusty is being held between a woman's hands. His hips are supported by her palms and his tail hands between her wrists. His back paws are drawn in and their pink soles are visible. He's leaning back, so his back and neck lie along the woman's fingers, and his head is turned back. With each of his front paws, he holds one of the woman's thumbs. If I now scritch his shoulders, he'll gradually lean further and further back until he's totally prone, relaxed and almost floppy. When he's done, he just swizzles round, drops through my hands and trots off - Dust is entirely in charge! Dusty, a nearly completely white faded roan rat with jet black eyes, sits up on his back feet in a man's lap, with his front paws holding the man's finger, which he's licking.
August 17, 2025 at 9:33 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Yes!
August 10, 2025 at 9:35 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Had so much fun with my new camera, I decided to set up an Instagram things to share photos - and a little original artwork too. I'm at
www.instagram.com/quiet_scient... if anyone's interested.
#photography #wildlifephotography #rats #art #sciart #birds #butterflies
August 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
This adorable old man is my #RatOfTheWeek.
He's brave and strong and aced his adventure at the vet's this week.
He's cuddly and loving and affectionate.
He also has the best whiskers. How can anyone not think he's The Best? ❤️🐀 Farley.
#rats #pets #PetRats #FancyRats #SkyRats #RatsOfBluesky
Farley, a ginger and white top eared rat, looks at the camera over his human's forearm. He's backlit, so his whiskers stand out like a massive halo. Farley, a ginger and white top eared rat, is nestled in the crook of his human's elbow. He's looking up at the camera. Farley, a ginger and white top eared rat, is cuddled up in his human's hand. Farley, a ginger and white top eared rat, sits in his human's lap, head reading in his human's hand, snuggling.
August 10, 2025 at 3:07 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Been having lots of fun since I got my new camera, so I have started posting some #wildlife and flowers - and #rats of course - over on instagram www.instagram.com/quiet_scient... in case anyone's interested :)
#photography
#photos
August 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Farley is my #RatOfTheWeek. He's very old, very naughty, and very affectionate. Loves me almost as much as he loves killing my houseplants.
#Rats #pets #PetRats #fancyrats #skyrats #RatsOfBluesky
July 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
I painted a starling.
#birds #art #sciart
A watercolour painting of a male starling in breeding plumage
July 12, 2025 at 8:55 AM
quietscientist.bsky.social
I can has tea?
Yes, little #RatOfTheWeek, you can has tea.
Little angel can have anything he wants.
That was our Reggie 💗
#rats #pets #petrats #skyrats #RatsOfBluesky #FancyRats
July 11, 2025 at 6:53 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek: it's Ace!

Look at him. Someone abandoned his mom in the woods while she was creating something all that cuteness. How ridiculous! And he's as sweet as he is cute. Cares about his friends. Very responsible and loving 🥰
#Rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #ratsky #RatsOfBluesky
A beautiful black and white dumbo rat with his little pink hands on the rim of a tea cup Same rat, walking towards the camera. He has a white diamond on his forehead Here, he's rising up on his back legs, waffling his little pink nose at the camera.
July 4, 2025 at 9:59 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek: Figwit, Figgy, Figgleswick. Our fearless, funny, occasionally fierce (ask Dusty), friendly, fantastic fella. We lost him yesterday at 31 months, a great age for a rat, so now we celebrate him. As beautiful as he was clever:
#Rats #Pets #PetRats #SkyRats #RatsOfBlueSky #FancyRats
A baby roan rat, dark markings framing a white heart of a face with black eyes and a pink nose, topped by giant round pink ears, is standing at the open door of a cage, resting his front paws on the top bar of the opening and leaning out. Older now, lying on his back, his dark markings receded to a sort of inverse blaze, he's holding a spoon of chocolate spread (containing medicine, but he doesn't know or doesn't mind) in his front paws and balancing it with his back feet as he licks away. Sitting in front of a small dish, wearing a Christmas hat, he's eating a piece of roasted carrot... Here he is towards the end of his life, sorting up and alert next to his brother in a fleecey hammock. His eyes are still black and shiny and his ears are still pink saucers.
June 28, 2025 at 6:03 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Looking through the ratty archive to pick a #RatOfTheWeek, and looook - wasn't Grindle the prettiest little thing? That fur was as soft as it looks, too. He came to us for his retirement and was very loved.

#rats #pets #petrats #fancyrats #skyrats #ratsofbluesky
A dark grey rat with a white blaze rests his head in a man's hand A dark grey rat with a white blaze sits up in a person's hand, holding a wheel of cucumber in both front paws. He's eating, but he looks like he's streering. His back feet are waving helplessly in the air because of the way he's sat, but he isn't bothered. He has his snack! A dark grey rat with a white blaze is curled up cosily inside someone's hoody. He looks soppy. Now he's lying back in a man's hand, licking yoghurt off the fingers of the man's other hand. Blep.
June 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
For #RatOfTheWeek this week - these two little breakfast buddies, Reggie (front) and Figgy (behind). Both get special breakfasts as both are old men in poor health. They look so cute lined up like this! #Rats #Pets #PetRats #SkyRats #FancyRats #RatsOfBluesky
Two roan rats lined up on a paw print mat, each eating from a little dish of special porridge.
June 16, 2025 at 11:57 AM
quietscientist.bsky.social
Somerset edition:
June 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek has to be my two old men, Farley and Figgy. They looked do beautifully peaceful snuggled together that i had to take a picture. That got their attention! Hooman, what you doing? Is there food?? #Rats #pets #petrats #skyrats #fancyrats #RatsOfBluesky #RatSky
Two rats, one ginger, one roan, lying together in a hammock. Both are facing forward, their cheeks touching. These two are brothers and their bond shows. Same two rats have noticed me. Both are now looking straight at the camera, alert and clearly hoping for a treat. Figgy had raised himself up, bringing his front paws into view gripping the edge of the hammock.
June 10, 2025 at 7:31 AM
quietscientist.bsky.social
#RatOfTheWeek can only be my old man Figwit, aka Figgy. Because he's beautiful and has the pinkest, roundest, most satellite dishest ears. And he's 30 months old and a bit poorly, which makes us even more aware of his preciousness. Here he is. #Rats #pets #PetRats #FancyRats #SkyRats #RatsOfBluesky
A roan rat faces away from the camera, displaying the beautiful silver stripe down his back. His head is up like he's sniffing the breeze, and his ears are pink and perfect Leaning into a teacup, ears up, tongue out. Blep blep. Sitting with his paws on my wrist. Ears up, black eyes shining.
June 2, 2025 at 12:11 AM
quietscientist.bsky.social
I got a new camera... So #RatOfTheWeek is a... little... different 😂

An excellent fluffy rat who I enjoyed being able photograph while he used all his ratty wiles to boldly steal my bird food 😄

#pets #petrats #wildlife #squirrel #RatsOfBluesky #fancyrats #veryfancyrat
A squirrel, looking at the camera with one front paw tucked up to his chest A squirrel, looking down from a fence, tail up. A squirrel sitting in a bird food dish A squirrel in a bird food dish, eating.
May 11, 2025 at 8:24 PM