The Yunnan box turtle is raised in shallow water and mainly lives in streams, lakes and/or swampy wetlands. Usually like to live in seclusion in the rubble among the weeds, and it is not easy to be found by people. It is an omnivorous turtle, feeding on small fish, shrimp, earthworms, fruits, vegetables, etc., and can also be fed artificial feed.

When Yunnan box turtle closes its shell, both It can protect itself and is a powerful weapon against the enemy. When encountering an enemy, it immediately retracts its head, tail, and limbs into the carapace, and the plastron and carapace meet, closing the carapace to form a box-like structure. When attacked by a snake, they close the carapace and just hold the snake until it dies, and then the dead snake becomes its meal.