Little information has been available about the habitat of T. pinguicolla until recently. Observations in NSW and the ACT indicate that the species is found in tussock grasslands, dominated by wallaby grasses (Danthonia spp.), spear grasses (Stipa spp.), tussock grasses (Poa sp.) and possibly Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra). Captures in the ACT using pit-fall traps suggest that the animals prefer well-drained natural temperate grasslands which are relatively undisturbed and with minimal pasture improvement. There appears to be a preference for shorter grassland with an open structure or with open areas, and some aspects of the structure of the grassland (such as distribution of tussocks and low, open grass) may be important (Benson 1996, Langston 1996). However, the apparently patchy occurrence of T. pinguicolla, even within such areas, may indicate more subtle relationships within their grassland habitats.

Tympanocryptis pinguicolla is known to make use of arthropod burrows in the ACT region (Jenkins and Bartell 1980, Osborne et al. 1993b, Smith 1994, Langston 1996) and in Victoria (McCoy 1889), but also shelters beneath rocks in Victoria (Lucas and Frost 1894, Brereton and Backhouse 1993) and in the Monaro region of NSW (Osborne et al. 1993b), or within Stipa tussocks in the ACT (Langston 1996). The use of various shelter sites may vary with season and local environmental conditions, and individuals have been observed to move between burrows (Benson 1996). Individuals have been reported to retreat into arthropod burrows when alarmed (McCoy 1889).

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