Can chameleons taste and smell?

[broderp]

Didn't find a lot on this question.

I'm curious, because I have been feeding my cham all he wants to eat, once every other day. He would eat 3-5 crickets and then lose interest.

I then after recieving feedback from the forum started to feed him daily in the mornings. He would still eat 3-4 crickets.

I bought 100 new crickets and I changed his cricket gut load to Cricket Crack, oranges and carrots. This morning I fed him 10 crickets expecting him to eat the usual 3-5. To my surprice, the little piggy at them ALL.

When I returned from work, he went back down to his feeder cup (a small clear critter tote). I threw in 5 more crickets and he ate 4.

Mind you these are large crickets between 3/8 and 5/8"

Can he smell or taste the difference in these crickets?

 

[Psychobunny]

According to what I have read in books, chams have a poor sence of smell, but they can tast things, maybe not the same way we do, but they would need to have this ability for their own protection.
Sence of tast helps prevent animals from eating things which could be toxic to them. Have you ever seen a cham spit something out? Something tasts bad, you spit it out because it could be harmfull.

 

[nightanole]

Sticky tongue farms mineral-all is berry flavored, so i assume they some some taste. Also most of my beardy meds from the vet are bubble gum flavored...

 

[fluxlizard]

I'm sure they have some sense of taste. They even tongue flick branches, etc to use their jacobsons organ.

Sticky tongue farms mineral-all is berry flavored

That flavoring seemingly messed with it's sticking power. I was very surprised when I bought my first batch of berry miner-all- it doesn't stick to the insects nearly as well as the old non-flavored stuff. I want the old non-flavored stuff back.