The white-tailed rat is the only member of its group to occur outside Madagascar. It is a nocturnal creature and spends the day in an underground hole, emerging at dusk to feed on seeds and other plant material. It is said that the strong smell of these rodents repels mammalian predators, such as suricates and mongooses, but they are caught by barn, eagle, and grass owls. White-tailed rats appear to breed throughout the year, producing litters of 4 or 5 young. A curious feature of the early development of these rats is the young become firmly attached to the female's nipples and are carried about by her. They only detach themselves when about 3 weeks old.