It’s slim pickings for hungry pet lizards and amphibians this holiday season as production problems at Hawaii’s only major cricket supplier have created a statewide shortage.
The problem, made worse by the fact it’s illegal in Hawaii to import crickets, has left owners of chameleons, salamanders and other pet reptiles that rely on the chirping insects as their primary food source scrambling to keep their pets alive.
"They’re not happy about it," Pet Shop Maui owner John Guard of his customers, who normally buy 8,000 to 10,000 crickets a month.
Guard and other Hawaii pet shop owners say they’ve been told crickets will not be available for delivery until January.
While the Pet Hale in Mililani said they had some crickets Friday, some other shops reported being all out.
The situation has left Brandon Marc Higa of Honolulu, owner of three tiger salamanders, frustrated and worried.
"During the holidays the last thing we want to see is our pets starve," he said.
The supplier, Crickets o ke Kai of Kaneohe, could not be reached for comment Friday, but the state Department of Agriculture confirmed the company has experienced production problems.
Meanwhile, many pet owners have been forced outdoors to hunt for bugs at night, according to store managers. They cautioned owners to avoid wild insects that may have been exposed to pesticides, because that can make a lizard sick.
Lauren Holter, assistant manager of Petland in Kahala, said her store has been able to purchase a limited number of crickets from a few customers who breed them on their own. But there aren’t enough to sell to the general public. The crickets are being used to keep the shop’s two dozen or so Jackson’s chameleons and a couple of tiger salamanders alive.
"Everyone’s on rationing," Holter said.
Pet owners can buy mealworms, she and others said, but they aren’t ideal for lizards because they are hard to digest.
Higa, an actor and model, said he went online in search of alternative food sources. He tried guppies but his salamanders didn’t like them.
Although he discovered a local source of worms and tilapia larvae, only two of his amphibians liked the larvae. The other one wouldn’t touch them.
"Who knew salamanders were so picky?" he said.
State Agriculture Department spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi said it’s illegal to order crickets from the mainland because they could bring parasites and disease into Hawaii.
Saneishi said state entomologists know firsthand how difficult it is to raise crickets. They’ve tried it to help supplement feeding at the state quarantine station with mixed success.
"They say it’s not that easy," she said.
