They have been found under rocks, in boulder piles and along rock outcrops and vertical canyon walls. Young are live-born and a quiet protected area must be required. Readily enters water in captivity but probably does not require free water. This snake occupies habitats with a mixture of a brushy cover and rocky soil such as coastal canyons and hillsides, desert canyons, washes and mountains. Early in the season individuals may be crepuscular but most are nocturnal.
Greatest activity occurs from late spring to early or mid-summer.
This snake is heavy-bodied and probably a desirable prey item for owls, roadrunners, other avian predators, coyotes, kit foxes, and other mammalian predators. It probably competes with Crotalus viridis in coastal areas and several other species of snakes in the desert. A new subspecies of the California boa, with notes on the genus Lichanura. San Diego Soc. Klauber, L. M. 1933.