It occurs in a wide range of substrates from friable sandy loams to exfoliated schists and sandy soils; they tend to avoid stony soils. They are often located within human modified environments, such as lawns, golf courses and gardens (particularly in the presence of vegetable gardens). The species is subterranean, and social, with a colony size of around five animals (and up to 14) including a single reproductive pair. It has a litter size of two to six young and a generation time of about three years.

This species occurs throughout the Western Cape from the southwestern limits of Cape Town to the Gariep River, extending eastwards beyond Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, and northwards into the Free State and the Northern Cape. It is expected to be the only Cryptomys species within its range; however, the exact northern and eastern limits of its distribution remain undefined, due to confusion with other species in this genus (Monadjem et al. 2015)

The species occurs in many protected areas throughout its range. Further taxonomic study of this species is needed to clarify the status of the various subspecies.