Premium Crickets Alternatives in 2026

October 9, 2026

Premium Crickets specializes in live feeder insects, which makes it a sensible starting point for reptile keepers. That focus may not be enough when you need a different insect mix, farm-direct sourcing or larger quantities. If you want crickets and dubia roaches straight from the farm that raises them, Carolina Crickets is a strong alternative. Fluker's is worth a look if you also shop for reptile feeding supplies, and Josh's Frogs if you are exploring feeder cultures.

Quick answer

Farm-direct feeders: Carolina Crickets for live crickets, dubia roaches and mealworms raised in Dunn, NC.
Feeders plus supplies: Fluker's when your list includes feeding and husbandry products.
Feeder cultures: Josh's Frogs when you want to explore cultures alongside reptile and amphibian supplies.
No change needed: stay with Premium Crickets if its feeders already fit your animal, storage and routine.

Why this matters

Choosing a feeder supplier also means choosing the work between delivery and feeding: housing, hydration, gut-loading, cleaning and managing insects your animal has not eaten yet. A bigger order does not fix a small storage problem. Decide what your animal should eat first, then pick a business that fits how you buy and keep feeders.

This comparison is about supplier fit, not an unsupported ranking of insect quality. A farm, a feeding-supply brand and a culture specialist offer different reasons to buy, and none of them replaces a species-appropriate feeding plan.

Premium Crickets alternatives at a glance

Supplier	Best for	What stands out	Main trade-off
Premium Crickets	Keeping an established live-feeder routine	Specialist live-feeder focus	Only makes sense while its selection fits your needs
Carolina Crickets	Farm-direct feeders, small packs to bulk and wholesale	Family farm in Dunn, NC raising crickets, dubia roaches and mealworms	You need space and time to care for what you buy
Fluker's	Buying feeders alongside feeding supplies	Live feeders plus feeding and husbandry products	A bigger catalog does not simplify your animal's diet
Josh's Frogs	Exploring feeder cultures and amphibian care	Feeder cultures and reptile/amphibian supplies	Keeping cultures adds work

The right choice is the supplier whose buying model matches your actual feeding routine. If you only need crickets, a larger catalog is not automatically an advantage.

1. Carolina Crickets: best for farm-direct and bulk feeders

Carolina Crickets is a family-run cricket farm in Dunn, North Carolina, continuing the Warren Cricket Farm line that started in 1947. We raise and pack live crickets (hardy banded crickets year-round, plus Acheta crickets when in stock), dubia roaches and mealworms for reptile and amphibian owners, bait shops and pet stores, and ship across the lower 48 states when the weather is safe.

Where Carolina Crickets shines

Defined feeder range: crickets from pinhead to adult, dubia roaches and mealworms.
Small packs to wholesale: cricket counts from 25 to 5,000, with wholesale available by contacting the farm.
Several buyer types: reptile and amphibian keepers, bait shops and pet stores.
Farm-direct: we raise the insects we ship, and local buyers can pick up at the farm.

Where it falls short

Bulk buying puts more responsibility on your holding setup.
Crickets and dubia roaches are not right for every reptile or amphibian, and they are not a complete diet on their own.
A farm's product range does not replace checking the size and species your animal needs.

Illustration of a tree frog on a leaf reaching toward a small feeder cricket — Amphibians and reptiles need feeders sized for their mouths and life stage.

Best for: buyers who want farm-direct crickets or dubia roaches and have room to keep them. Verdict: buy for that use; skip bulk orders your storage cannot support.

2. Fluker's: best for feeders plus feeding supplies

Fluker's offers live feeders alongside reptile feeding and husbandry products. Its appeal is breadth around the feeding task, not proof that its insects outperform anyone else's. Choose this route when your shopping list includes more than insects, such as feeder food, hydration products or supplements.

Shines when: you want insects and supporting care products from one catalog.
Falls short when: you only need farm-direct insects, since a wider catalog will not tell you which supplement schedule your animal needs.

Illustration of feeder crickets in a cup being dusted with calcium supplement powder — Supplement dusting is part of the feeding plan, whichever supplier you use.

Verdict: buy for that broader shopping need; hold if your current supplier already covers the insects you need.

3. Josh's Frogs: best for exploring feeder cultures

Josh's Frogs is relevant when your search extends into feeder cultures and reptile or amphibian supplies. That is a different decision from replacing a cricket order: you are deciding to produce and maintain feeders at home.

Shines when: purchased crickets are not your whole feeding plan, or you keep small amphibians that need small feeders.
Falls short when: you just want bulk crickets, because cultures add a separate maintenance job.

Illustration of feeder insect cultures including a mealworm tub, culture cups and a mesh-lid bin — Cultures need regular feeding, monitoring and cleaning.

Verdict: buy for a planned culture setup; skip cultures if you do not want the upkeep.

Three checks before you switch

Build your shortlist around three checks, in this order: animal fit, care capacity and buying fit. A convenient order is useless if the feeders are wrong for the animal.

Animal fit: confirm feeder species and size against reliable guidance for your reptile or amphibian.
Care capacity: know where the insects will live and how you will feed, hydrate and clean them.
Buying fit: match the order to what your animal eats, not the largest quantity available. Our feeding calculator can help.

Illustration of three supplier checks: animal fit, care capacity and buying fit — Animal first, then housing, then the order itself.

Before changing your order size, track feeder use for a week: what you offer, what your animal eats and what is left in the container.

Feeder care matters after the order arrives

Supplier choice and feeder nutrition are separate decisions. Gut-loading means feeding the insects nutritious food before you offer them to your animal. VCA Animal Hospitals' bearded dragon feeding guide recommends gut-loading insects within 12 hours of feeding them to a bearded dragon and calcium-dusting crickets, mealworms and dubia roaches. That is guidance for one species, so follow the advice for your own animal.

Illustration of a bearded dragon under a basking lamp next to a dish of feeder crickets — Offer feeders in a shallow dish and remove any the animal does not eat.

Task	What you decide
Feeder selection	Which insects and sizes suit the animal
Gut-loading	How to feed the insects before offering them
Supplements	What your animal needs, based on species-specific guidance
Holding care	How to house, hydrate, feed and monitor the insects

Do not leave uneaten live insects in the enclosure indefinitely. For unpacking and day-to-day care, see how to care for feeder crickets.

When staying with Premium Crickets is the right call

Stay if the feeders you buy suit your animal and your routine works. A new supplier is not an improvement just because it appears on an alternatives list. Switch when you can name what needs to change: a different insect, farm-direct or bulk buying, feeding supplies, or a move toward cultures.

FAQ

What is a good Premium Crickets alternative in 2026?

Carolina Crickets is a strong fit if you want farm-direct crickets and dubia roaches, from small packs up to wholesale. Fluker's is relevant if you also want feeding supplies.

Which alternative is best for feeder cultures?

Josh's Frogs is relevant if you want to explore feeder cultures alongside reptile and amphibian supplies. Choose cultures only if you want the upkeep.

Should I buy feeder crickets in bulk?

Only when your consumption and holding setup support the quantity. Track actual use before ordering more.

Are dubia roaches a direct replacement for crickets?

Not always. Confirm the species and size suit your animal, and follow species-specific diet guidance before changing its routine.

How long before feeding should I gut-load insects?

VCA's bearded dragon guidance says to gut-load insects within 12 hours of feeding them to your dragon. Check the guidance for your own species.

The bottom line

Before changing suppliers, write down the problem in one sentence: the wrong feeder size, the wrong order quantity, or a need for culture supplies. If the problem is insect care after delivery, fix that first. The most useful alternative is the one that solves your actual problem, not the one with the longest catalog. To try farm-direct feeders, shop our feeder crickets or call 910-694-3025.

Related guides

Carolina Crickets, 212 Bait Rd, Dunn, NC 28334. Phone 910-694-3025. Email carolinacricketfarm@gmail.com.

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