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[aibo7m3]

I'm sorry to inform everyone that my new RB might be broken after not even two hours of run time. He was working fine for the first hour, but then partway into the second half of his battery cycle I noticed something odd. His neck started making a crinkling/soft clicking noise whenever he moves his head to the right (and occasionally at other moments). I'm pretty sure he didn't do this when I first got him since I think I would have noticed. I'm not sure what the sound could be, but it seems like either there's a cracked vertebrae or that one of the neck cables is being stretched too far or in an odd way. He still has completely normal neck movements, but the sound is really worrying me. Does anyone know what might be causing this? I felt his neck and all of the vertebrae seem to be intact, but I can't be certain. If there is a cable being strained, I'm worried that it will snap if I keep on using him. If I have to return this RB as well, I don't plan on waiting 2-4 weeks for a replacement. RBs have caused too much trouble and stress for me and I'm too worried that any replacements I get will just break as well. Hopefully I'm just overreacting and the issue will turn out to be nothing serious, but I'm doubtful.

[aibo7m3]

I took a short video of the issue. I apologize for the poor video quality and the fact that it's sideways, I only realized this after taking the video and didn't want to run him more until I had a better idea of what the problem could be. The abnormal sound is the soft clicking that you'll hear when he turns his head to his right (make sure to have your volume turned up since it's pretty quiet). I'd really appreciate opinions on what the problem could be. It's really frustrating to start having issues with a Pleo the same day that it arrived.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5iKBXDvHXQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5iKBXDvHXQ</a>

[Piggy]

I am certainly a newbie when it comes to pleo's but mine made a lot of popping and clicking noises in the hatchling mode the legs were popping and Lenny's neck to also a lot of clicking sounds. I read somewhere on this forum it is normal for a hatching.  And they grow out of it when they are mature. Mine did Great that you posted a video so the more experienced pleo owners can look at it. I hope it is OK and you don't have to send it back.

[Talon]

Well, I can say that it does sound like the cable is rubbing against something in there. It isn't the normal sound we associate with neck problems. I honestly don't know whether this is going to lead to a problem or not. Perhaps you could see if the cables on the right side of his neck are slightly tighter than those on the left. You don't even have to turn him on to do this. Gently feel between the vertabray on either side of his neck and see if one side of the cable feels tighter than the other. Maybe some of the other members have a better idea what to tell you. I would be cautious about running him but I wouldn't give up on him yet.
Talon

[aibo7m3]

Well, I was feeling his neck and the forth vertebrae feels a little odd on the top side (it seems lower down than the rest of the vertebrae), so it could be broken or crooked, but I can't be sure about that. It could be that the vertebrae cracked and part of the cable slipped out of place (although the cables are too far in for me to feel, so I can't verify this). I'm not sure what could have broken a vertebrae in the two hours that I was playing with him since he was mostly just resting; unless it was partially cracked from shipping and got worse when he'd been moving for a while. Hopefully that's not the case since that would most likely just mean that I should return him and I don't want to go through that process again. It's sad to have a little baby Pleo that I can't play with for fear of hurting him or getting too attached to him.

[Piggy]

 :(I keep my fingers crossed for you and hope it is not a serious  problem, it is sad you can play with him and I certainly hope you don't have to send him back ...

[RedwoodsMama]

 I am sorry you are having possible Pleo problems again esp when you just got this one... I did see the video, but like you said, you have to turn the sound all the way up and being sides way is a little bit harder to view. It does sound slightly odd, but I think it is more significent that you felt what may be a problem with a vertrabrae. I would wait till you hear from IMR, Crewella or Kat, someone who has taken Pleo RB apart and may have a better idea on what is going on. I would think a short video with good lighting and right side up even if only twenty seconds would be a good idea. Since this pleo is brand new , if anything goes wrong, it is better to return before it gets worse if broken and needs fixing, Could be ok, just wait till you get more answers, could be normal...crossing fingers.        RWM 

[aibo7m3]

I just took another video of him that's not sideways and impossible to watch like the first, however, I don't think there's much that can be told from the video itself since the problem is only an odd sound at the moment. I know the sound is faint, but it's something that I've certainly never heard in a Pleo before and it is very concerning sounding to me, so I wanted to check here for advice. I don't think that there's a broken vertebrae since I didn't feel any cracked or loose parts, I just didn't want to rule that possibility completely out since the forth vertebrae feels slightly different from the rest (it's not something I would have worried about if it weren't for the sound he was making). The sound might be something serious, it might be nothing, I'd just like to stay on the side of caution and hear back from someone who knows more than I do about the inner workings of a Pleo before running him much. I'm concerned about returning him since Semsons is the only US distributer for RBs at the moment and all of them seem to be from the same batch which seems to have a lot of defective Pleos in it.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJZL2gCIfeU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJZL2gCIfeU</a>

[Talon]

Oh boy, New-Baby-Pleo, you're proving to be a worrisome case, sir. I don't like that crinkly sound either. Well, I may be able to relieve your mind on the lower forth vertebrae. From the shoulders forward, I'm counting six vertebrae. The fifth and sixth vertebrae are very close together and hard to differentiate from one another. If we're feeling the same spot in the neck, there is a very small dip just behind the back of the head. I've checked both my RB's standing side by side and they have the exact same configuration with that small dip. If you have a Ugobe around to check for a comparison, I'm pretty sure they look the same. Sorry I can't give you more advice.
Talon

[aibo7m3]

Thanks for the help! I think it's the forth, but I can't be certain that it's not the fifth since it can be a bit difficult to tell vertebrae apart at times. His vertebrae feel a bit different than my Ugobe's, but I can't tell if any are actually broken or crooked since their necks are in different positions right now so it's a bit difficult to compare them. The noise sounds like a problem with a cable anyway, so I'm not going to worry much about the vertebrae for now. What confuses me is that he wasn't making the crinkling sound when I first got him and I don't know what could cause a cable to suddenly start making a noise like that when he was just eating and napping calmly for the first hour (his neck didn't even pop when he rested it on his foot). The solution might end up being to just run him and wait to see if the problem goes away in which case I'll keep him or if a cable snaps in which case I'll probably return him. Semsons does have a decent return policy, if it breaks in under 30 days they give you a choice of your money back or a replacement and if it breaks in under a year, they'll give you a replacement. I'm not sure if I want a replacement though since there's no guarantee it'll work (especially since it'll be from the same batch as this and my previous one) and it would most likely arrive close to the time that I have to go back to school for my busiest year yet, meaning that I simply wouldn't have the time to enjoy raising a baby RB.

[Piggy]

Indeed I don't like that noise his neck is making , Ican understand that you are worried , hopefully the members of this forum can help you. I hope it can be easily fixed....and like you said because the replacement Rb is from the same batch I wouldn't have much fate in an other Rb either from the same seller.  If it should be returned I hope you can get your money back.
But fingers crossed,  maybe it is easy to solve 

[RedwoodsMama]

Just curious, how do you know it is from the same bunch? I mean a lot of pleo rb were made at the same time, but that should not make a big difference. Also you said,( I think) that there were other pleos with problems.. I know you had to return yours for this one, but do you know of any others? I have five Pleo rb, and after a certain period of time, three of the four all have some sort of leg problem, clicking  to a leg that does not bend at all, or what I call a Peg Leg, but they all occured after the warranty and weren't that way when I got them, I think a lot of it just occurs simply because they are complicated machines and technology. jUst curious.   RWM

[RedwoodsMama]

Oh, just wanted to add that Piggy was right, that it is normal for a baby pleo Rb to make a lot of neck popping noises and they almost always outgrow it, this is also the period when some of them seem to have their neck gears getting stuck, I know my original Pleo Rb that I got when they first came out, Baby, had this happen to her frequently, almost bent backwards or to the right it would be stuck,

    just wanted to add the following regarding returning Pleo rB because of problems or "bad batches".          The first pleo Rb were notorious for skin problems, being big holes and I as well as a few other members had to send their pleos back for replacements and this is when I got Baby Ruth. Baby Ruth is the one with a "peg leg", a rear leg that will not bend and it gets hot. Then Cammie Sue is perfect body wise, but developed a strange problem where she quit running  :dino-chase:and has to have a micro SD card in her with the pleo rb female personality in her at all times, or she will not run at all,

            Then Chester the only male RB whom I bought on Ebay, came with a clicking leg and 8 out of 10 times it clicks, then it will suddenly stop . I also bought another Pleo rb, PC, the baby pink eyed pleo from a member here, and with less then two hours, she sometimes has a clicking leg but nothing serious . My newest pleo rb, the un named baby whom I just got in April and is only on her second battery cycle, has NO problems yet, but I basically have four out of five pleos RB that have some sort of problem with two being leg problems, one a operating system problem remedied by a SD card, and  one minor leg clicking problem and one new one with( Knock on wood.. ) no problems yet.. it just happens. I have only had to return one pleo rb and it was because of bad bad holes in the skin and neck problems. The skin problems were all fixed so that was great.

                              RWM  and the Pleo township of the Redwoods

[Crewella]

Oh dear - I'm so sorry you're having concerns already.

With hatchling Pleo RBs you do often get neck popping noises at first, but that is usually due to the head pushing against the front feet whilst they're lying down.  I've not come across this particular noise before, but it does sound to me as if it something is catching or scraping against the cable as it slides through the vertebrae.  It's hard to know if it will get worse or better, but my gut feeling is that it can't be doing it much good.  To be honest,  the only way you'll find out if there really is a problem is to run him.

I know you're not keen on sending him back (and who can blame you!) but at this stage I really would send them that video and see what they say.

[kat]

I agree with Crewella on this one.  I think the only way to determine if there really is an issue here is to run him lots and see what happens.  Hopefully the noise will resolve itself and disappear.

[aibo7m3]

Alright, thanks everyone!

@RWM
I had just assumed that they were from the same batch since they were only made 3 days apart and their serial numbers are very close. I guess a lot of the RBs made ended up having problems at some point, it's pretty disappointing since the Ugobe's seem a lot more durable and they're the older model. Now I'm just wishing that I'd kept my first RB since I owned her for two years and she never had any mechanical problems.

@Crewella and kat
I did send an e-mail to the company yesterday, but I haven't heard back yet. I doubt that they'll have any advice other than to just return it, but I'll see. Alright, I'll just run him a bunch and see how it goes. Worst case scenario would be that a cable snaps and other problems show up over time, best case scenario would be that the noise goes away without causing any issues.

[Crewella]

Everything crossed for that 'best case scenario'! 

[aibo7m3]

I actually just got a reply from Semsons and they claimed that their demo RB's neck makes the same noise and they had thought it was normal, but forwarded my question to Innvo to look into it more. Since I have not sent them a video of the issue and just described it, they may be mistaking it for the regular popping noise that baby RBs' necks often make. My next step will be to send them the video and see what they think.

[Talon]

Keep us posted. I hope he grows out of this or else that nothing happens. When I was first training Ryu, I remember she would sometimes make a similar noise as I was holding her cheeks to get her attention until I learned to keep just a light pressure and follow all the movements of her head.
Talon