I agree with those statements. I have 5 Python Molurus Bivittatus and all were on QT for atleast a few months to see if it is 100 % OK. 6 months I think, is a bit long, but better safe then sorry. Must say that my snakes were all CB, and I have them from a local breeder, and saw the parents of my own animals. Some people have all the luck I guess :-)
But I ALLWAYS set the new one's apart to check on em..
I observe newly introduced snakes ( when put with others ) very VERY long ( sit and stare... just in case )
Feces research is actually quit easy if you know where your looking at. Some bacteria are visible on a 10 dollar kid microscope that goes as far as a 400 x magnification. Flagglates and Amoeba are visible, and can be indentified at that mag. ask a local vet to show you some pictures of them..
remember that flagglates are allways present in a snake, but only do harm in larger numbers... That ofcourse, shows up in the feces of your snake. So if ya do not mind the smell, just smack some fresh poo on a microscope, and start exploring :-)
Gijs van Waversveld
http://members.chello.nl/g.waversveld/index.html