Young snakes are common on the desert side but rare on the coast side of the mountains.
Prey capture results from waiting for prey and active searching of ground, rocky areas and off the ground in bushes. This snake occurs in rocky areas and in dense vegetation. Water is probably not required. This snake occurs in a wide variety of arid and semiarid habitats that provide dense vegetation or rocky cover. Early in the year it is active during the day but as daytime temperatures increase it becomes active later in the evening.