Prefers still or slow moving water with a muddy bottom. Turtles may be locally abundant in suitable habitat. In Arizona, Sonoran mud turtles mate in March. Oviductal eggs are present from June to September with the greatest frequency in August. Nesting occurs in September.
Clutch size is correlated with carapace length and growth rates.
Predators on eggs possibly include snakes, opossums, weasels, skunks, raccoons, and domestic dogs. Handbook of turtles. Press, Ithaca, New York. Dill, W. A. 1944. The fishery of the lower Colorado River.