Lost my Little Boy... What Now?

So, the inevitable has occurred, Zaphod has passed. He was only 5, and maybe that is an OK age, but I just expected him to live more years than that. I don't know, but I feel that I failed him somehow by not having him live for 7 years or so. I know that there are no set rules, but damn it, I wanted him to be here longer. I consider myself blessed to have had him with us these few years and I know that he was spoiled while he was here, but could I have done anything differently to give him a longer life? I guess I will never know, but I do know he was loved as one of the family.

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I consider myself very fortunate to have had Zaphod in my life, but also I am fortunate to have known this community. Zaphod was a Petco Brat, but I don't regret one minute of having him in my life :). He brought me so much happiness and I learned so much having him in my life.

Now I am left with the unfortunate inevitability of dealing with the loss of a family member. Zaphod had been so involved with the day to day routines and only now do I realize how much he was a part of our lives. I walk by the enclosure now with no lights on and it seems wrong. I don't need to fill the water reservoir and it seems wrong. I walk slowly by the enclosure so I don't startle my boy,He's not there, and it just feels wrong.

Wow, what an impact this little dude has had on our family.

I am OK with the situation, I knew that Zaphod's time was limited, but I loved my little boy and wanted him to live forever. I thank my wife for being the one who was able to hand feed him most of the time and make sure he got his supplements. (he was such a stubborn eater) I am so grateful that he would look to come out of his enclosure more and more as he got older. (Yes, he was a stinky little veiled for a few years) and of course I am grateful that he did not have any major health issues while in our care.

Having enjoyed spending basically 5 years with Zaphod, I am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to care for him and become a member of this community.


Having dealt with the passing of our boy, at the same time that we were dealing with the loss I came across this podcast from Bill Strand. It was just coincidental timing, and I did not necessarily need to understand the feelings that I was experiencing, but I gave a listen... I must say this is well done. I'm attaching the link to the podcast here...

http://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-79-mourning-your-chameleon/

and also the tribute to Zaphod...

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/zaphod-has-passed.158917/

These little guys can truly get into our hearts quickly and make more of an impact than we realize. I hope to have another scaley friend soon, but for now we will just remember all the great memories and moments that we have due to a little impulse buy 5 years ago. I cant believe I'm going to say this, but thanks Petco o_O I couldn't have picked a cooler cham (y).

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Comments

What a great tribute to Zaphod. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and I'm sorry for your loss.
 
Dr. Mader says the average life span of a chameleon is 4 to 6 years so Zaphod was right in the middle. You did a great job with him and he was such a handsome boy. There’s really something about well loved veileds and how easy it is to get attached to them. I think more so that anyother species that I’ve kept.
Beautiful tribute! I only wish I could have met Zaphod. ❤️
 
Thank you for posting this blog. I have a little petco impulse buy as well and although I have only had him three and a half months I can not imagine not having him in my life. I was really worried after finding the forum and hearing such horrible things about the quality of the Chams from chainstores like petco and that they do not live long lives. Your post about your little man living a happy and healthy 5 years makes me more hopeful that I will have the same experience.
 

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