MISSING: Socrates, the pet tortoise, made his escape from a garden in the Lochardil area of Inverness on Sunday; the small runaway reptile, a Mediterranean Spur Thigh tortoise, is likely to be hiding in undergrowth or a garden wall – plea for public help
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A neighbourhood hunt is underway after a pet tortoise made a speedy getaway from a garden in Inverness.
The runaway reptile called Socrates made his dash for freedom in the Lochardil area on Sunday afternoon and has been on the run ever since.
Owner Pete Smith, of Stratherrick Road, has been asking neighbours and passers-by to keep a keen eye out for the two-year-old Mediterranean Spur Thigh tortoise.
The much-loved family pet is said to be friendly and sociable, highly intelligent and responds to pet names including Socs and Sockstable - albeit coming out of his shell at a gentle, tortoise-like speed when called by name.
He went missing from a property near the corner of Darris, Balnakyle and Stratherrick Roads and is unlikely to have shifted more than 50-70 metres in any given direction.
Mr Smith said: “Socrates will be sleepy in temperatures below 25c and is most likely to be hunkering down somewhere nice and sheltered in undergrowth or a wall.
“He is quite small, roughly the size of a computer mouse, but he can survive fine outside in the current temperatures.
“He would be far more active and visible in a temperature of 25c so we’re really hoping for a belter of a summer’s day.
“He is a very clever young tortoise who responds to the names we call him and we’re desperately hoping somebody will spot him sheltering somewhere in their garden undergrowth.
“He can climb and jump but we suspect he will not have travelled too far from where he was when he went missing.
"He's an adventurous wee fellow and has gone missing before, but never for more than 24 hours.
“It would be great if people could keep their eyes peeled and have a wee check in their gardens.”
Socrates will be able to feed himself, but could become dehydrated without access to water. He can swim in garden ponds for a short period of time.
Another danger to Socrates, given his modest size, would be pet dogs.
Anyone who finds the runaway is asked to gently lift him and put him in a bucket or container.
Mr Smith, a freelance audio and video producer who works from home, is contactable on 07710 762 506.
