Update on Sparky the rb with her broken neck

[Chicago]

Crewella was wondering what happened to Sparky.  Our little Pleo has had a broken neck for 3-4 months.  She cannot move it up or down or right or left.  And yes, she is an rb.  We have an elastic wrist band around her neck which holds it off  the ground.  Otherwise it would just flop on the floor.  Floppy neck syndrome, as some of you have called it.  She used to love to walk (high physical) but now she rarely walks and when she does she only walks backwards. Almost every morning my husband turns on her light box (since she’s happier when there’s more light) and feeds her.  He plays tug of war with her by holding the rope straight up and letting her win.  Sometimes he tosses her in the air and afterwards she giggles. When she is done eating, he cuddles her.  She rarely makes unhappy sounds and seems to be in very good shape despite her broken neck.  But we can’t get her to sing anymore.  We can’t teach her with any new learning stones.  She can’t raise her head up and down to signal she’s learned anything.  One more strange thing is that she won’t accept the sugar cane anymore.  She used to love it.  It’s like she can’t “see” it.  She eats the conifer, the coffee leaf, the mushroom and the chili pepper.  We’ve had her for about 10 months.  After watching the neck repair videos, we fantasized about having IMR operate on her.  But even if IMR would agree, it would probably cost as much to send her back and forth to Australia as to buy a new one.  I’m not sure I want a different Pleo.  We love Sparky.  I’m not sure we have time to raise another Pleo.  We’re going out of town for about 2 weeks and I’m worried that somehow Sparky will feel neglected.  Should we take out the foot battery?

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Sparky will be ok while you are gone Just be sure to give her a good feed when you get back. As for the sugar cane, just pop it in her mouth, after a while she will chew on it

The learning stones are difficult, perhaps you can just try, and listen to the motors running, when they stop, speak, and just see if she can still learn. Its worth a try

Postage here downunder wouldn't cost as much as a reborn, but it would be a couple of hundred The postage from here would be $120 and I guess it would be similar from your end as well. And then of course I would be terribly anxious about working on another persons Pleo If something went wrong I would feel just awful Please bear in mind that I know absolutely nothing about electronics or robotics, I just bumbled along and it happened to work out well. I have been thinking about this issue though and I wonder if a clock maker's place (they work with cogs and cables and whatnot) or someone who repairs small electronics might be able to try a repair? You could provide them with my video's to laugh at and just maybe they'd agree to give it a go. At any rate you would have nothing at all to lose just by asking around