We are getting a hatchling tomorrow, and although I've done lots of research, I am staying up late and going over everything tonight to make sure we are properly prepared.
I have seen different opinions on this. Some people say that crickets are only recommended because they are the most accessible, others say they are needed.
I would MUCH rather avoid crickets if I can, and go with dubia roaches, and black soldier fly larvae, and other sources of protein.
Thoughts?
I personally will not feed crickets because of the higher risk of parasites. I fed Charlie dubia nymphs at hatchling age. They are very nutritional and they don't have the high risk of parasites. Nutritional value is twice to three times that of a cricket. So in short you can feed less bugs and get more results.
Black Soldier Fly Larvae are also VERY VERY nutritious- though with a hatchling’s appetite, you’ll go through them at an astounding rate, and they can be rather pricey. I used crickets with Figment because they were cheap and easy to get, but once I went to dubias I never looked back. Definitely the better feeder. I did rotate BSFL into my feeding; rotating feeders is a very good idea. It helps hit all the nutritional niches.