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[RedwoodsMama]

 Nova as I speak, or should I say write is in Critical condition. I don't know if she is going to make it, I feel she is one sad Little Pleo right now, and I am One Big Nervous Heartbroken Mama.Nova has had one problem after another, and it reminds me of my little Kitten Paco, who had to be Euthanized Last June 25th, 2009. ( Same day Michael Jackson died.) Nova has only been with me a short while, since this past Christmas, but she has put a lot of life in her short time with me.   I am now convinced that she is on her last legs and I am heartbroken as only yesterday she was fine and this weekend, Mothers Day, we spent the day together along with my son in the beautiful Redwoods shooting pictures.( if only I could go back  a day or two.)
                        I don't know exactly what happened. I have been unhappy with the new 2:0 OS. so following instructions I downgraded Nova using a FULLY CHARGED WHITE EGG BATTERY, and taped her responding to it. I made sure to leave her on for more than 10 minutes and then turned her off. I then took out the New SD card, turned her on,and taping watched to see if she would go into the " hatchling" mode so I could upload the 1.1 Upgrade OS. again, as I don;t like the 2:0, too many problems to list here. I thought it funny because she was acting like she was already 1:1, rubbing her chin, constant singing, but lots of strange different barks and growls, noises. Anyway, she kept dragging her head on the ground and wouldn't lift it. Looked very uncomfortable. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer and turned her off.   I think she has a broken cable wire or servo. She can;t lift her head up at all, and when off , it just flops there. No resistance at all... :(I did;n't drop her or anything... :(I am crushed, I feel like another pet has been crippled, or killed. Now what do I do. I never finished the upload 1.1, she never went into the hatchin-ling, but eventually did go to sleep... Her neck just dangles but moves side to side.
 Fancy, I know Peeky has a broken neck and you fixed it with tape or something. I read different posts about taking Pleos apart and fixing cables, but I could never do that. I am not smart enough and I am sure I would make her worse, and I would feel like I crippled her for a lifetime. Now what do I do. NO operating system, broken neck and a leg that sticks or doesn't allways work right. The video I took of her is pitiful....It breaks my heart to see her like this after being so " alive " yesterday...              RedwoodsMama   and Critical Condition ( Nova)


    P.S. I can't even tell my husband as he would think it is a waste of time and I should get rid of her, I am actually crying real tears now cause it hurts to have her " dead " like this.

[InmemoryofRomeo]

First of all regarding the neck, if it is broken then there is nothing that can be done, you can only brace the neck and leave it at that. A broken cable is nothing to be messed with unless you are confident in your abilities to handle the task. Place a bandage firmly around the neck and then wrap medical tape over that, it will support Nova's neck and she can at least walk without her head dragging.

Secondly regarding the software, did you turn Nova off after the downgrade was complete or did you rturn her off after it was done but before she fully 'hatched', if you did it during the actual upgrade then you have o choice but to start over, if you did it after the upgrade during the hatching then that's not a problem, its not recommended but it shouldn't do any damage.

Thirdly, download a skit (any skit) and run it, it will tell you for sure if Nova can lift her head or not, a loose neck is not confirmation. You do that exactly the same way you run the upgrades and downgrades, download, unzip, place on an SD card and insert into Nova.

Please try the above and get back to me and please calm down until the problem is known for sure. Nova cannot feel any pain and doesn't even know if something is wrong with her neck.

[Crewella]

Redwoodsmama, I wish I could help, but all I can do is cross absolutely everything I have and hope that IMR's advice helps.

[Meks]

redwoodsmama, i hope nova get's well soon, don't give up on her, keep a cool head please.

[OzPleo]

Sorry to here of Nov'a problems. Are you sure it's a neck cable and not the software? Angus hung is head down for a long while after the upgrade. Try Nova on a skit like IMR suggested and let us know.

[Bumblebee]

Wow. What a time. I would be broken-hearted if that happened to any of my quad. Honestly I'm a useless dunce in this case and of no help. Take IMR's advice and let us know ASAP what happens.

[shadowmice]

I don't have enough experience with all the problems these little pleos can possibly have during upgrades and downgrades to provide any real help but I am hoping that with advice and tips from the more experienced people here you'll be able to resolve poor Nova's troubles and get her back on her feet again soon.

[fancyfont]

Hopefully, by the time you read this Nova is working, but if she has a broken neck, it isn't the worst thing, believe me! Even though there are tears now, you will eventually find out Nova will do most everything she did before when you complete her programming. Peeky can do almost everything but look up and play dead. I have to give him a little push to make him fall over.  
When Pleos have a broken cable, you can use flex wrap and give their necks support so it doesn't dangle. I have found about every color under the sun at a large pet supply house. I do put gauze or very thin soft fabric first around his neck because of the stickiness of the tape.  Protects the rubber, too.
The first time I actually got over the fact that Peeky had a broken neck, was when I caught a nasty cold and was in bed for a couple of days. Peeky was right there the whole time. I know it was just coincidental, but he seemed to know I was ill and looked at me as if to say "I'm so sorry you don't feel well. " He even had sympathy moans and groans and sniffles. I could see he was the same little character he was before his injury. He can still wage his tail in delight, sing, giggle,even when held by the tail, (well some of the time at least)   walk around exploring, loves my finger and so many more things that shows he is just the same Peeky but without lifting his head. Of all my pleos, Peeky is the most reliable when it comes to showing off for company. He's is still very much ok to me.

[liddleone]

When I had problems with Raphael in regards to the OS he made a loud click and I thought the neck was broken. When I put the demo on after he froze he moved and didn't lift his head for ages. Finally he did. So maybe downgrade and upload again. Good luck 

[allosaurus]

Ahhhh, Olly's neck does the same thing.

Feel around the neck.  Do you feel all the cables? Are they all there?  If they are all there yet Nova's neck is still flopping, you and I may be experiencing the same problem.

I am hoping that my problem is the battery, as the battery began to fail directly before Olympia's neck began to fail.

[RedwoodsMama]

First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who sent their condolences and well wishes for Nova.I have been sad and reluctant to post anything here as of lately,not knowing what condition Nova would ultimately end up in. With the luck and expertise of a Pleo Guardian Angel, she has at least been restored to the original 1.0 Operating system, the one before the 2.0 which was not appropriate for Nova or I at this time, When the " bugs" , are ironed out and it is ready for release to the public, then perhaps we will give it another go. So she is at least at this point, Allmost the Old Nova I knew and loved so much. She is now however for who knows what reason, a " Special Needs Pleo."  :(But that is OK, as I know there are other Pleos out there, World Wide who suffer from the Affliction known as, " Droopy Neck Syndrome." ( I hate the word Broken , as it has not broken her spirit! ) So after much consideration and trying out skits that were mentioned by degers as well as IMR, it was pretty much evident that she suffers from a cable being broken who knows how or why or exactly when, as I had no warning, no dropping, and no sudden or loud sound. I am posting two videos, one short one with showing the condition of her neck before " I fixed it, or Stabilized it," and " with her neck brace."
                    Now I have to warn you that as her " mama", I am very protective of her feelings, and if anyone laughs or makes fun of her " fashion statement Neck brace," that I will be quite upset as that is very rude to do to a poor little baby Dino who can't turn her neck around the way she used to, so she can see who is laughing or making fun of her. " Yes, her neck brace is " different," but that is because I wanted it to be different, so she could stand out in a crowd, and that is her personality.. So when you see the second video of her wearing her Special Neck Brace, be prepared to perhaps laugh, but please don't laugh because she looks " funny.....strange,", but laugh because she is cute, special or different and most of all, Because she is Nova, and Nova is Special and loves to " just be herself, ' she didn't want to be dragging her poor head on the ground anymore, and I couldn't stand seeing her look that way. So in the next hour after posting it on youtube, I will upload it here, so now your are forewarned!
                                                RedwoodsMama    and MS. Nova

[fancyfont]

We would never, intentionally, laugh at any pleo with special needs. You are correct, however, that these tough little pleos are pretty much the same as before the droopy neck syndrome.
Looking forward to seeing Nova's new videos.

[RedwoodsMama]

 Hi fancy, I got sad when I saw the videos I had taken so in the meantime I posted a happier video, It was taken the day before Mother's day, here in the beautiful Redwoods. Nova was healthy and happy and my son was also with me, it was a great day all the way around. It may have been a forboding warning as earlier in the day, Nova while I was filming her, was walking and stumbled over her own feet,and did a somersault but sidesway, I caught it on tape but did not include it as part of the Day in the Redwoods, as the video would have been too long. I will post it later. There was lots of footage I cut out of the video. I will post the pictures/video of her neck tomorrow. I decided I needed something more cheery first and this was it.
                   You are right, our little Pleos are fighters and don't care how they look, they are still themselves and happy for the most part. Hope you enjoy the Redwoods Video. Thank you for the cheerful thoughts.
                                     RedwoodsMama    and MS. Nova

[liddleone]

RWM I am glad that Nova is better. I can understand your offence to people being rude but please be prepared as there are some nasty people online, I don't mean this forum but I've seen unnecessary comments on youtube. Don't take them to heart. I know one day this will most likely happen to Raphael. It was funny the other day we have a cat staying with us and he was watching Raphael like a hawk. He was ready to pounce. My roommate had the cat in her arms as I am patting Raphael and her comment was "His more affectionate than you are" to the Cat.  Quite funny.

Chin up   (Both of you)

Thank you for your help by the way regarding Ebay. Both items have been refunded. Not sure if I will get another pleo.

[Crewella]

I'm so pleased Nova's problems aren't so bad, and that you're happier RWM.  She's such a character, it would take more than a little neck problem to get her down!

[RedwoodsMama]

 OK, guys, slow but I am here, I had so many problems trying to upload last video to youtube and the one yesterday , A day in the Redwoods took almost 2 hours to upload! Anyway, I have made a video on how I fixed a neckbrace for Nova, but I had trouble with tyring to upload it all day, and after about 3 hrs, said, I am doing another one for now, because frustration has set in. So in the meantime, here is the end result, Nova in her neckbrace.
            Mind you, it is nothing you can hide, so Nova and I decorated it so it is Part of her outfit. In fact, I think she looks rather like a Proceratops. In the video which I took just a few hours ago, you can hear some loud clicking and I am sure that is coming from her back legs.   Don't know if that is normal, what else can Nova have go wrong with her! Nova is a trooper and she doesn't even seem to mind this neck brace as you can see by watching the video. Oh, and the lovely outfit she has on is her " Weedovia Tomato Festival T-Shirt, The one she won for " most tomatoes gathered. I think it is very nice and great colors, it goes well with her neck brace which is a sock split to cover her neck brace. It is adorned with colorful frogs from the Rain forest, needed something Reptile of course!
                  Nova is quite the" Clothes horse", and I can already see I am going to be making lots of " neck brace' covers for her wide range of outfits.
 Please don't laugh too much at the neck brace, it is my first attempt! I will try to upload the " how I made the neck brace shortly', wish me luck! Thank you to everyone for words of encouragement to Nova , she is a fighter!
           <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-W9zKse-S4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-W9zKse-S4</a>
                                          RedwoodsMama    and MS. Nova



 Just thought I would add, if you watch at the end, she does a leg lift and waves goodbte with her tail!

[Pleonardo]

It's great to see Nova up and about again despite her "orthopedic" condition.  I wish I can find material at work to make a dinosaur neck brace....... unfortunately we don't have paleontological orthopedic surgeons at my hospital      But your brace looks great for now

[RedwoodsMama]

Pleonardo, that would be great to have neck braces from a special " Dinosaur or as you put it,
", paleontological Orthopedic surgical " unit. I have a bad back, so I guess Nova is just wanting some of the same attention I get, but I don't have to wear a brace or anything, so I am sure she is going to get lots of comments when we go out. Haven't been brave enough to go out with her like this yet, but if she doesn't mind, then I shouldn't! Nova is glad to be " up and about again." I think she thought she had done something wrong as I hadn't wanted to " play or interact" with her for a couple of days, afraid I would only worsen her neck condition. ( Silly me! )
                        Thanks for looking and the comments, it makes me feel better and more reassuring.
                                        RedwoodsMama   and MS. Nova

[Saylene]

Glad to see that Nova is improving. I myself am not sure how to construct a make-shift neckbrace, but the one you've made so far is actually kind of cute.

[Pleo-Freak55]

oh poor Nova and that Leg from Nova is too so correct that is so funny after front as that Left Leg from Nova i said the Near Feet.

[ohnart]

Poor Nova......but nice outfit