AJ (Aurelio) Siracusa- as327- Great guy!

I just purchased a male breeder GTP from AJ and it was an easy, smooth transaction all the way through. My snake arrived today gorgeous, healthy, and even more docile than I expected. I would not hesitate to do business with AJ again. Great communication- he even called me to make sure the snake had arrived and that I was happy with him.

Seems I may have posted too soon. The snake did appear healthy when it arrived, but within 3 days began wheezing and bubbling, surefire signs of a respiratory infection. I'd had it in my quarantine room, heated and with 12 hour light cycle. I took the snake to the vet and it has an infected abscess on the floor of its mouth and respiratory complications due to that. It's on antibiotics and has to go back in 2 weeks. AJ did say he will cover the first $50 of my vet bill, so if he does I will still not have any problems with him. I will update this post as to whether or not he does reimburse me.

I was refunded my $50 today. The snake is on the road to recovery, and it is likely that since the snake did not eat for me since I got him, he injured himself on his last meal with the seller and signs of the problem did not show up until after the stress of shipping. I will say this, he is a beautiful snake and very docile, and he was a good price, even after vet bills. AJ was very helpful all throughout, and that is all I can ask of a seller.

I purchased a 160g female albino ball python from AJ a few weeks ago. He was an easy guy to work with, it was my first time purchasing a ball python on-line so I trusted in him. He shipped her over-night fed-ex, she arrived a day late and arrived in a pampers diaper box with "FRAGILE" written twice on it (and the UPS driver handed her to me side-ways). Once I got her out of the plastic container that was duct-taped, I thought for sure she was dead. She was frozen to the touch and not moving, I ran her under warm water and put her under my shirt, she finally came to with-in an hour. Although AJ did request over-night shipping, it did not happen (I know that part isn't his fault). However, the first thing I noticed when I took her out was MITES . Being a new ball python owner it was very obvious to me (especially since she is a white/yellow snake and mites are black). It took about a week of mite treatment to finally get rid of them. I was very disappointed in this part of the transition. AJ did contact me days after to check in on her.
I am very happy with her looks and behavior now, though.
Now I know the correct questions to ask when purchasing reptiles on-line, I have learned from my mistakes!

LeeAnn,

You should probably post your experience separately as a "Bad Guy" thread. Having it posted here in a good guy thread does not make much sense.

I would like to resurrect this thread from the grave and say that AJ is certainly a good guy. I reached out to him about an older add he had posted for a male Boa constrictor longicauda. He no longer had that individual, but he hooked me up with an even nicer looking male than I was expecting that was from a cross of two top-notch lines. He was quick to reply, willing to answer questions, and passionate about what he was doing. We were able to settle on a fair price, and shipping went off without a hitch. The animal was packaged very professionally (accurate labeling, air holes, Styrofoam insulation, foam substrate, appropriately sized snake bag, and a small heat pack). The boa was in excellent condition upon reception, and it only exceeded expectations in-person. He promptly followed up to ensure delivery, and seemed legitimately interested in establishing relationships with others in the hobby/business. I would recommend him to others, and I will keep him in mind if I am ever looking for another high quality locality boa or green tree python.

I am sorry that you were dissatisfied in any way. I apologize if your animal had mites. I do use a local pet shop to ship everything out since my old days of Delta Dash pre 911. I haven't had any issues with mites, but it is possible that he/she was exposed when shipped (I use their bags and and boxes). Either way It is my responsibility to ensure healthy and properly delivered animals. I apologize again.