The keeback is active during the day (diurnal) and the night (nocturnal) depending on the temperature. It uses its keeled scales to grip onto slippery surfaces when travelling over mud or vegetation. When it stops moving, the keelback hides under plants, timber or in empty burrows. Keelbacks are harmless, however, they can easily be confused with a highly venomous snake called the rough-scaled snake Tropidechis carinatus. Keelbacks only feed on vertebrates, such as frogs, tadpoles and lizards.