Chris Amico - beware of

Chris Amico posts on Kingsnake. Doesn't know his herps real well. I traded with him for a gulf box turtle and he sends me an eastern box.

Also my trade was before the 4th of July (Friday). I told him several times not to ship for delivery the day before the 4th in case there was a hangup and the package would sit somewhere till Monday.

Well he still ships on Wednesday (7/2) for Thursday (7/3). I wait around all day and then get a frantic phone call from the Post Office of all places saying they have a box marked "turtle" and that they close for the 3 day weekend in30 minutes.

So I run down there before closing and get the package. Amico told me that he ships Airborne. Well I guess not. Also, he appearently doesn't know enough not to ship before a Holiday.

He also does not respond to emails or phone messages very well but will get back to you eventually. I think I spoke with his Mom and Dad more than him.

Craig Baker

Is he from Ohio and 17 years old?
If he is the same person I sold to it took me almost a month to receive payment for what I shipped him. (yes, I know I should have waited for payment before shipping)

Hi Steve,

Chris is from New York. Actually I am from Ohio but am not 17.

Who was the guy from Ohio? I may know him

Craig Baker

Originally posted by craig268
Amico told me that he ships Airborne. Well I guess not. Also, he appearently doesn't know enough not to ship before a Holiday.

He also does not respond to emails or phone messages very well but will get back to you eventually. I think I spoke with his Mom and Dad more than him.

Craig Baker

For those of you that do not know.. Airborne Express is not nationwide.. but ships to all locations. What they do, is send the package to the nearest post office.. then it is up to the post office to deliver the package. If you ship a next day arrival... they only guarantee next day to the post office, not to your door. I shipped a package next day... only to have it sit in the post office for 3 days. If you ever choose to use Airborne.. make sure they have an actuall location where you are shipping to.

Double checked my archived emails and it is a Chris D'Amico in Ohio. Not the same person you had problems with. Sorry about that. The name and the problems contacting him sounded like the guy I sold to.

I just got a snapping turtle from Chris Amico , if I recall he is located in NY , he said he only shipped UPS next day air and I had no trouble with getting responses to email and the turtle arrived the day he said by UPS in an styroform insulated box with cool pack and can in great health and ate the first day , so I can't complain about my experience at all , it went very well in my experience .

If he sent you an eastern box turtle this is totally illegal, as well. Box turtles are species of "Special Concern" in NY, and are illegal to collect, possess, or sell. I'm sure that the NY Dept. of Enviornemntal Conservation would love to hear about this clown!

I have no personal dealing with Chris Amico, but I know that myself and many people in the caudate community are very upset with his collecting practices. He only offers wildcaught animals that he finds in his area-basically anything that he can get his hands on he will sell. He was offering 100 lots of eastern newts last year for 50 cents each...I find his collecting practices to be highly destructive and immoral.
~Mike

to annonymously tip the dnr in his local, these animals are endangered, and he needs to be stopped, there arent many eastern box turtles left.

I had no idea he was also poaching box turtles. I thought it was mainly amphibians that he took to make a quick buck on. I do know that he was boasting several months back about getting in some hellbenders. Hopefully he will be stopped. I can assure you we will start seeing more posts from him in another month or so when the amphibs start to wake up.
~Mike