Another trait that causes them to be mistaken for rattlers is their protective shaking of their tail, which sounds like a buzz when performed against a hard surface. They also perform open-mouthed hissing at times, sounding quite fierce, but are actually quite tame. With daily handling, they will quickly learn that you are no threat to them and no longer display. Captive-bred gopher snakes are among the easiest pet snakes to keep, however as with all animals, they require a proper setup and adequate care to thrive. Studies on the home ranges of gopher snakes suggest that most of them do not wander far afield but often spend months or even years within an area of only a few hundred feet to less than a mile in diameter.
Males range further than females.
In the wild, they feed mostly on rodents such as gophers, rats, mice, and small rabbits, which they pursue into their burrows and kill by constriction. They also eat birds and their eggs, which they reach by climbing into bushes and trees. They are almost completely terrestrial, but have also been described as semi-arboreal. They are also found in cultivated areas such as farms. They seem to prefer sandy, loamy soils whenever possible, and spend much of their time in and around animal burrows.