Lovemychams,
I'm pretty new to chameleon keeping, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.
I might be wrong, but I get the impression that you are maybe doing things that are stressing it. Some animals just shut down when stressed. You mentioned that he was closing his eyes when misting--that to me is a pretty normal behavior.
I'm not saying that there aren't problems with your little chameleon, but I would think you want to reduce as much stress as you possibly can. Stress is a huge contributing factor to chameleon deaths. Your baby just had some big stresses in his short life. A new home, even a better home than where he came from, in itself is a big stress.
I suspect hydration is the biggest issue with newly acquired chameleons. Can you set the mister on for an hour several times a day?
You don't want to force fluids or food into him. Aside from adding more stress (and stress will kill a chameleon), it is quite easy to aspirate them if you don't know what you are doing. Their throat structure is not like a mammal's--the opening to the trachea is at the front, well before the opening to the esophagus. If you are forcing the mouth open, you also have to be very careful handling the dewlap because their tongue is down there. Their tongue has a bone structure to it.
Here's a link to a picture and discussion of the throat structures. Go to Page 3, midway down:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/warning-all-chameleon-owners-80201/index3.html
You also don't want to put your hands into his enclosure if you can help it. Even a captive bred thinks you are a predator. This animal knows if you are looking at him. Imagine how you would feel if a tiger was staring at you or poking you? You are a predator and will always be viewed as a predator. These are not animals that are going to develop an emotional attachment to you. They are not social with their own species except to breed, why would they develop a social relationship with a predator?
I absolutely understand your natural desire to pick it up and check it regularly. I'm fighting the same thing--I've just received a wild caught from a shipment that was pretty banged up and loaded in parasites. I want to look at it, weigh it, etc., but that is not what my poor boy needs right now. What he needs is for me to leave him alone, not even look at him, and just make sure he has lots of mistings.
One other thing, I think most baby chameleons look pathetic even when they are healthy--big head, big eyes, skinny wavering little arms. They look so very vulnerable the way a newborn baby does.
Good luck with your baby.
