I let the crickets run loose, I put dubia roaches in the bowls. I remove any left overs the next morning
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Are you worried at all about them escaping or breeding and then overrunning the enclosure? I haven’t actually fed crickets yet, only dubias.
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I hate crickets and I get my husband to help me feed them to the Cresties.
The insects can’t escape out of the enclosure, that being said we lost 5 crickets in the week and found them scattered around the downstsirs 
But usually I feed locusts as my choice of jumping insects, again they can’t escape out of the enclosures and usually don’t loose any.
They are too small to breed and I remove any the next morning.
I have lost a few dubia roaches in the enclosures which are too hard to find again! But luckily they end up in the food bowls which they can’t crawl out of.
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Crickets should never be allowed to run loose in an enclosure with small animals, especially geckos. They can eat and kill your gecko if they are not eaten. They can even do damage in a single night. Only tong feed the crickets, or pop their back legs off and put them in a bowl. @mblaney I am sure she would be more than willing to show you the damage crickets can do if needed.
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That’s what I’m worried about. I only have 1 tank with 3 cresties but I still don’t want to risk putting any crickets in there. I’m likely only going to feed roaches in an escape-proof dish and rarely mealworms and wax worms. Unfortunately I can’t find live locusts or grasshoppers for sale in the states but I don’t even know if they remove the risk from crickets.
If you could find small hornworms, silkworms, or BSFL then those would be a good substitute as well. Especially since there is a very good chance of becoming allergic to dubias the more you are exposed to them…which will make you allergic to shell fish as well. If you don’t like shrimp or crab then it won’t matter lol.
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I have a soldier fly colony but it doesn’t seem to be producing. Since adult soldier flies are also edible and not dangerous I might try feeding live, moving larvae (I’ve previously added soldier fly pupa to their food). I think I have some small allergies to dubias but I already have a dubia colony so I’ve been feeding them already. However I might just feed them crickets outside of their enclosures, doing that there is virtually no risk to them and they still get the enrichment of chasing them.
I have always put crickets into enclosures and to this day I have Never had any problems myself with any of my cresties being bitten or eaten(which is extreme). Even the hatchlings get tiny crickets put in so they can hunt and act natural and again no problems. Been feeding like this for years. (I also feed my bugs so maybe that’s why no problems happen)
Then again my lot are also pigs so don’t usually leave any!
Only problem with bugs we’ve seen, was a Crestie we took on last year. He is missing some crests and has a mark on him due to what we assume was bugs.
But I put crickets in with him and never had a problem with him, he eats every one, so who knows what caused the marks on him, since he was only fed crickets once and was kept on jelly pots for nearly 2 years. He’s about 2 1/2-3 now.
I don’t want to hijack the thread so I’ll be brief- the gecko I tried to rescue that had crickets eat through his body wall was a leopard gecko, and they are terrestrial. So, hands-down, I can say that leaving crickets in with a small, terrestrial species without hard scaling is unethical. I have not kept cresties myself, but it’s my understanding that they are arboreal. So long as they never touch the ground except when hunting, I guess loose crickets, without climbing surfaces, wouldn’t be a problem? It would depend on whether cresties are ever unconscious, dozing, or chilling out in locations where loose crickets could be. That said- why risk it? There are plenty of other options.
With regards to dealing with dubia- I suggest wearing a surgical mask & gloves as an attempt to reduce allergen exposure.
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Highjack away.
Oh blimey 
Poor little thing…
I leave them in with my fat tails also with no problems!
I have a Male and female in together and the female atm won’t touch anything other than wax worms, and that’s being hand fed. So grandpa gets them put near him and he doesn’t waste any time hunting away, so I’m careful with her being in there.
But my 6 month old I Chuck them in with also. Never have I thought any different feeding bugs. For years I have just put the crickets in and watched all them hunt!
Goes to show not all are ok with them being left in…
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Just read about allergies to Dubias?
Anymore on this from people, I didn’t know they can be a problem? We have a colony going and we’ve handled them etc, cleaned them out, feed etc but we are in contact weekly… So now I’m concerned 
I also leave crickets in with my banded gecko. No problems. But I also have a couple fluker’s cricket cubes in there as well.
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I missed a lot of these messages but I will try to add in…
Black larvae fly shouldn’t be fed to baby or juvenile Cresties, in fact I’m dubious about giving them to Cresties as Cresties have pooped them out alive!
Mealworms can also be too hard for cresties to digest so I don’t use them either.
I tong feed most of my Cresties at first, when it comes to crickets and locusts, but I also put some in as they instinctively love to hunt, but I don’t throw in loads at one time.
I only have 2 Cresties that are fussy in which they are fed specifically to their needs.
I try to keep things as naturalistic as they would do in the wild. No one feeds tongs to them out there!
I also watch my Cresties hunt and very rarely have to take any out, but if it’s a few insects then I will take them out the next morning… Depending on my Cresties reactions.
I personally prefer dubias and I’ve not had a reaction to them but have read about the possible reactions. Please note that I do not touch any insects as I am in fact petrified of them
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You actually become allergic to their frass, not the actual roaches themself. When you clean them out just wear goggles and a mask and you won’t gain allergies for a while. Over time it’s said that you develop allergies and you can have bad reactions (swelling, trouble breathing, sometimes anaphylaxis). They get worse over time so at first you’ll be fine. Then you might start get some face swelling. If you still work around them and breathe them in then you might get trouble breathing and eventually possible anaphylaxis.
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Just gonna put this quote here for the dubia allergies bit.
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Luckily for me, I don’t eat any of those as my husband is allergic and has been for years. But i will wear protective gear and keep my husband away from them as much as possible
I am allergic to fish as well.
With that said, I tried to feed Dubias tonight to my crestie. Nothing. It licked them but would not eat them. But then again, it licks the crickets as well. It will eventually eat the crickets.
I feel bad for this little one. I still think I am the first one to feed live insects. I don’t think it has any idea how to hunt.
I have one Crestie that will only eat insects from its bowl, i’d suggest putting them in the bowl and leaving them. I make sure they are in an escape proof bowl which is the normal feeding bowl. And I tried every few days, now the Crestie loves insects, but only from its bowl
Make sure the insects are not too big for your Crestie or it can get scared, as well as hurt if it does eat them.
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That cresty is adorable 
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