Shining scale snakes are non-venomous and generally go out at night to hunt for food, feeding on snakes, frogs, lizards, small rodents, birds and bird eggs.

The Snake lives at an altitude of 400-1000m and lives in caves. It lives under the woods and fields under the soft soil, litter, dead wood and stones. In China, it is mainly distributed in Simao, Menglian and Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan.