I cried all day and night when my first Panther Tragan passed away. He died in my hands as I was running through the emergency vet's doors. I was, and still am upset about his passing.
Honestly, you have no idea how much losing a chameleon will affect you, until you lose one. When I lost my first cham 4 years ago I was totally unprepared for how hard it would hit me. I had absolutely no idea that I was as attached to her as I was. She died in my lap and I cried so hard I couldn't see properly for a couple of days. The house just wasn't the same without my little green friend. I had her cremated and her ashes are in a tiny box ont he shelf above where her viv used to be. I can't imagine life now without at least one chameleon. I am dreading the day that anything happens to my Monty. I love him so much and so does everyone who meets him.
i get sad thinking about the day that karma will move on... and he's not even a year old yet.
just to answer your topic i cried when my friends beardie died, i helped take care of it... it was kinda like it had two daddies looking out for him, but he ended up passing one night and i came over with a new basking rock for him and i saw my friend on the bed holding him and we both kinda broke down. We ended up burying him in his play box that we used when we cleaned his tank.
At this point, I can't imagine how I'll feel when Max passes.
Some people I know (some...not most) don't understand my attachment to an animal I cannot love up on, cuddle with, etc, like you would a cat or a dog. But what they don't understand is all of the hard work and patience that goes into these chameleons. Gaining trust, that feeling you get when you first get a chameleon to hand feed, having a chameleon willingly walk over to stand on your hand. They require such a constant care -- it is a daily occurrence!
I can honestly say, if there's anything I do EVERY single day, it is tend to my chameleon.
It is love. I love my chameleon as much as I'd love a dog.
Hopefully you believe in reincarnation, & that could bring some peace. i like the idea of the cremation that was done. a little urn would be cute and a great conversation starter, to help keep memory alive. i guess a person's faith or lack of, may play a role in how someone handles a loss.