The siren prefers warm, shallow waters with dead bottom vegetative cover, such as those in ponds, ditches, and swamps. Open water may disappear during hot dry summers. Good indicators of their presence also include lots of snails and an absence of fish. Nocturnal, it burrows into the silt and debris during the day. It feeds on crawfish, worms, mollusks and occasionally tadpoles.
Sirens remain active during the summer as long as there is open water available.
During hot dry summers, it covers its body with a protective mucus to prevent dehydration. It makes a soft, clicking sound when approached or surfacing for air. Sirens squirm violently when captured and are very difficult to hold. One or both members of a pair may show bite marks on the body and this is believed to be associated with the mating behavior. Breeding is believed to take place in the spring.