Most are born naked and helpless and are cared for in nests. Some desert female Woodrats have been known to deliver up to 5 litters per year with as many as 5 young per litter. The young may open their eyes at 10-12 days and are usually weaned between 14 and 42 days. Most become sexually mature after 60 days. If the litter is especially large, the mother Woodrat may die after weaning.
Most rodents are polygamous and some mate for the duration of a single breeding season.
Found in the Great Basin, Sonoran and Mojave deserts from southern Oregon and Idaho, south through Nevada, western and southern Utah, and southern California to Baja. This Woodrat sometimes appropriates the burrow of a ground squirrel or Kangaroo Rat, and will fortify the entrance with sticks and cactus spines. It is 8.5 to 15 inches long, buff-gray above, gray below, with hind feet white. Generally chooses the base of a prickly pear or cholla cactus as the site for its home. Will more rarely use rocky crevices or underground chambers in extremely hot desert regions.