This turtle feeds primarily on grasses, grass-like plants, and legumes. Its diet may also include mushrooms, fleshy fruits, and possibly some animal matter. Hatching occurs in August and September. The juvenile tortoises suffer a heavy natural predation loss of almost 97 percent through the first 2 years of life. Those that survive grow to sexual maturity slowly over a period of 13 to 21 years, depending on the portion of the range and the sex of the turtles.
Males usually reach sexual maturity at a younger age and a smaller size than females.
Females usually reach reproductive maturity at 19 to 21 years old. Most of the gopher tortoise's life is spent in and around the burrow. The gopher tortoise establishes a well-defined home range which increases in size as the tortoise grows older and larger. The burrow becomes a more or less permanent home although there may be alternate burrows in the area. Several other species may also share gopher tortoise burrows.