Baby Veiled Chameleon Passed :C Please help

[mi3sh33]

So my baby veiled Pepito died a few hours ago and I am so heartbroken, I feel like I had did everything right and he still passed. I got him from a pet store which I know is not optimal. I did research before I bought him and believe I had a decent setup. I know it isnt the same as a chameleon, but he was not my first reptile, but was my first chameleon. So I have some prior reptile care experience (which I know probably doesnt matter)

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon (male I believe) - Very young, maybe 1-2 months (will post pictures) In care for about 10 days before passing.
• Handling - I did not handle him much, would nudge him so I could mist because he did not like the misting. Any handling was less than 5 minutes not daily.
• Feeding - Crickets - gut loaded with Zilla cricket and insect food. Dusted with herptivite and calcium when he would eat. He ate a total of 3 crickets the entire time I had him. Crickets were small, about the size of the distance between his eyes. He would eat one then not eat for a couple of days, then he ate two and didnt eat again till he passed. I offered them to him everyday around noon, and then left some in a cup with a vine hanging in it for him - he never ate any. Also did not shoot his tongue out, it would barely leave his mouth when he ate
• Supplements - Herptivite, Rept-cal
• Watering - Misting 3-5 times daily for about 30 seconds - have witnessed him drinking several times.
• Fecal Description - Never tested (to my knowledge) - droppings were white, often stuck to him
• History - The day I brought him home, I noticed one of his eyes was closed - read that it could have been due to a number of problems especially those with hydration. His other eye was fine, also the closed eye still moved just did not open. It never opened up until the day he passed
• He also was exhibiting shedding behaviors before his passing.
• I had planned to take him to a vet but the only vet that had reptile experience was not taking new patients and would not see him.
• He did move around his cage, but he also slept during the day a lot.
• He also had some dark scales on him - I believe they were old burns? they never changed and were present the day I brought him home
• The day of his passing I found him hanging upside down by his hind legs from the cage, I got him down and he was weak, I moved him to a corner of the enclosure where there was more for him to hold onto - I then had to go to work and when I came home I found him on the floor of the cage - both his eyes were closed and he was very weak (would not stand, barely moving) and he passed shortly after

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Screen enclosure, I had put plastic on one side and half another to help with humidity (read in a forum that it would help humidity levels)
• Lighting - Reptituff halogen lamp 75w, reptisun? i cant remember the brand 5.0 uvb bulb - both on for 12 hours a day on a timer strip
• Temperature - basking spot was about 83 F - ambient temperature was around 76 F measured with thermo-hygrometer and a laser pointer temperature thing
• Humidity - Measured temp and humidity with BORO thermo-hygrometer. Humidity level between 60-75% - Misted 3-5x daily and ran a warm air humidifier once or twice a day for no more than 2 minutes
• Plants - No live plants
• Placement - In a room, on far side - not a lot of traffic - air conditioning unit is in this room so kinda windy noise when it runs but it doesnt turn on often also the cage is not near the vent that makes the noise
• Location - Kentucky

Current Problem - Wanting to get insight to make sure that I had setup correctly for the chameleon
Here is a link in case photos do not show here - I apologize for their poorer quality.
Thank you so much
https://imgur.com/a/3l4Dl

Edit: All pictures of chameleon were taken the day he was brought home
I promise this is not a troll post, I just want to know what I did wrong. Been crying all morning. I tried very hard to take care of my baby and it seemed as if he was slowly improving

 

[kinyonga]

So sorry for your loss.

The first photo...when was that related to when it died?

More comments to come.

 

[mi3sh33]

So sorry for your loss.

The first photo...when was that related to when it died?

More comments to come.

No the first photo is when I brought him home, right before putting him in his home 10 or so days before he passed

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."Crclosed"... - gut loaded with Zilla cricket and insect food. Dusted with herptivite and calcium when he would eat. He ate a total of 3 crickets the entire time I had him. Crickets were small, about the size of the distance between his eyes. He would eat one then not eat for a couple of days, then he ate two and didnt eat again till he passed. I offered them to him everyday around noon, and then left some in a cup with a vine hanging in it for him - he never ate any. Also did not shoot his tongue out, it would barely leave his mouth when he ate"...it would be better IMHO to feed/gutload the insects like crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms a wide assortment of greens, veggies and a little bit of fruit. I use dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, squash, berries, melon, apples, pears, etc. He should have been eating at least 10 to 15 appropriate sized crickets a day at that age.

You said..."droppings were white, often stuck to him"...he should have been producing a brown feces as well as the white urates. Was there a substrate in the cage he was in at the store? I'm wondering if he was impacted if it was just the lack of him eating that made him not producefecal matter.

You said..." his eyes was closed"...and "slept during the day a lot"...both if these things indicate health issues.

Those black marks in the first photo are not burns...they are either a sign of impending death or could be an injury.

 

[mi3sh33]

You said..."Crclosed"... - gut loaded with Zilla cricket and insect food. Dusted with herptivite and calcium when he would eat. He ate a total of 3 crickets the entire time I had him. Crickets were small, about the size of the distance between his eyes. He would eat one then not eat for a couple of days, then he ate two and didnt eat again till he passed. I offered them to him everyday around noon, and then left some in a cup with a vine hanging in it for him - he never ate any. Also did not shoot his tongue out, it would barely leave his mouth when he ate"...it would be better IMHO to feed/gutload the insects like crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms a wide assortment of greens, veggies and a little bit of fruit. I use dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, squash, berries, melon, apples, pears, etc. He should have been eating at least 10 to 15 appropriate sized crickets a day at that age.

You said..."droppings were white, often stuck to him"...he should have been producing a brown feces as well as the white urates. Was there a substrate in the cage he was in at the store? I'm wondering if he was impacted if it was just the lack of him eating that made him not producefecal matter.

You said..." his eyes was closed"...and "slept during the day a lot"...both if these things indicate health issues.


Those black marks in the first photo are not burns...they are either a sign of impending death or could be an injury.

Perhaps what I thought were droppings were actually urates. And they had a bark like substance in his cage at the store. Once I did see some brown droppings but it was little and I only witnessed it one time, everything else he produced was white (after a quick search I believe it was white urate)
I also did read that the sleeping was a health issue but I was not able to find a vet from him before he passed. He didnt sleep all day until about a week after having him. I first assumed he wasnt eating because he was adjusting but after a couple days and only eating 1 cricket I began to worry. Thank you, for future references and for my other cricket eating creature I will try gut-load using what you suggest - it sounds like a better diet than the Zilla cricket food

 

[kinyonga]

I'm understood that the white was urates...so he is peeing but if there's no brown he either isn't eating or is impacted and can't poop.

 

[mi3sh33]

Would you say that his habitat was where it needed to be (appropriate temps/humidity)? I love Chameleons and wish to get another - doubtfully anytime soon, I'm pretty broken up about Pepito and do not want to lose another.

 

[mi3sh33]

Thank you so much for commenting Kinyonga, I loved Pepito so much, I felt that he wasnt well, and tried very hard to care for him and Im just devastated and too scared to try and have another; but Ive also put in a lot of time and effort and now have everything to care for a chameleon and was thinking about getting another sometime soon but from one of the websites Ive seen posted here before. Is this a bad idea?

 

[kinyonga]

The setup sounds good. I told you about supplements and feeding insects...so you know about that now.
I would add a dripper but I don't like them for babies under 3 months.
I would change plants to real non toxic well washed both sides if the leaves as the chameleon gets to be 4 or so months old too. I would not use a substrate....don't know if you had one of not.
I would also try to buy one from a reputable breeder and make sure it's at least 3 or 4 months old....and get a male so you don't have to deal with reproductive issues too.
I've likely missed some things to tell you.

 

[mi3sh33]

Thank you so much.I did not have a substrate because of the dangers it ingesting it especially for babies. Ironically and Sadly this seems as the culprit for his passing. I will definitely get on from a reputable source/breeder etc. Glad to hear the set up was ok.I know they are sensitive creatures and wanted to be surr that was ok.

Would you happen to be ablr to give a guess on his age based on size? Was he to young to be sold ?

 

[kinyonga]

It's hard to know the age because some people grow them rapidly and others grow them more slowly. Rapidly is not good in captivity IMHO.
I would say he was past the danger point of the natural die off though....but barely.

Growing rapidly makes you have to worry about bone issues from lack of nutrients IMHO..slower growth gives everything a chance to keep up with the growth if you know what I mean. Just my way of doing it.

 

[mi3sh33]

Yeah I understand what you're saying, thank you Hopefully things will go better if I chose to get another.