i am considering buyin a pet snake and am trying to decide on a breed. any suggestions?

Hello; while I can think of several different species that are 2-3 feet long and eat mice; most snakes have pretty long lifespans, and when properly cared for can live for at least a decade or two. I honestly can't think of a single type of snake that makes a good pet that lives for less than that. Keeping that factor in mind; here is a list of some snake species that match your other two requirements. :)

Not knowing your level of experience with reptiles; all of these snakes are great for beginners and experienced keepers alike. I've also included a bit of information on them and a link to a care sheet:

Rosy boa. They are small, very docile, calm, are great eaters, and are slow moving (and thus easier to handle than a lot of colubrids like King snakes and Corn snakes). They are also very hardy, low maintenance, come in lots of different colors and localities, and aren't prone to shedding problems.

Care sheet: http://www.rosyboa.com/desertboas/caresheet.html

Kenyan sand boa. They have all of the good qualities of the Rosy like the gentle disposition, ease of care, small size, great feeders, etc, but the only problem that some keepers may have with them is that they spend most of their time under their substrate. For those who like to randomly walk by their snake's cage to check to see what the snake is up to and how it is doing, that could be frustrating for them.

Care sheet: http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snakes/kenyan-s...

Childrens pythons. They are very small (the second smallest python species in the world), are low maintenance, are great eaters, and usually have a great temperament. While I wouldn’t classify them as slow moving, they aren’t all that fast, either. However while I think that they are quite beautiful; some would consider them to be ‘bland’ looking, so if one was in search of a flashy looking snake, then these guys probably wouldn’t be for them.

Care sheet: http://www.tinypythons.com/caresheet_childreni.asp

Rough-scaled sand boa. These guys are a very small, generally docile, low maintenance species of sand boa. They are hardy and easy to care for, are great feeders, and are excellent for beginners. The only problems with these guys is that they are a bit harder to find than most of the others on this list, and like the Kenyans, they spend most of their time buried under their substrate.

Care Sheet: http://www.reptilia.org/care_sheets/snakes/csheets...

Western Hognose Snakes. They are a usually good-tempered, low maintenance, small, amusing species that could be mistaken for a Rattlesnake if someone wasn’t well versed in reptiles. They are generally very sweet, tame down quickly, are great feeders, and are great shedders. They are mildly venomous, though not enough so that it could pose of any danger to humans. Not only are they reluctant to bite; their fangs are also located in the back of their mouth thus making it very hard for them to bite you unless you literally stick your finger in there. Even if they did manage to bite you; you’d have to let them ‘chew’ on you to get any sort of reaction at all. Generally the reaction from their venom in humans is mild irritation and swelling.

Care sheet: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/westhognose-cs.htm

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject or on any of the species I named; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)

Good luck!

Most snakes do have a good long lifespan, 15-20 years and will surpass the growth ban you have. Cornsnakes, milks and Kings do not make a good choice for the size you are looking at, they may very well reach 4'-5'.

Two very small snakes that I like and are relatively easy to take care of are the Rosy Boa and the Children's Python. Check out their caresheets, they're beautiful, tameable and adequately sized.

Rosy: http://www.reptilekeeper.co.uk/rosyboas/kaplancare...

Children's: http://www.tinypythons.com/caresheet_childreni.asp

Corn Snake would be the best or a grater snake i reccomend the Corn snake though. They eat the rodents alive!!! haha i used to have one but i accidently let it go into a hole in my desk and havent came out since. So my parents decided to get a ball python. =) The ball Python is so awesome. If u can get it get the python

I have a corn snake and their good snakes,so if you want a relatively small snake as a pets that's the one to get.

But they live too be about 23 years old,but if you don't want him after a while you can always give it back or find a "Exotic" animal shelter.

Good Luck To You

hey man, id suggest a garter or corn snake. If you want the snake to stay small not all of those will be able to eat mice.

a rosy boa or a sand boa...their arent many snakes that wont get over three feet but those are two....ummm why wouldnt you want it to live for a long time?

A corn snake would be good

I think you would enjoy a Childrens Python.

i say the milk snake

a stuffed snake...