[4] It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and pastureland.

This multiplicity of entrances, some in the open and some in concealed locations, help the diurnal rodent to take cover rapidly when predators threaten.

It is most active in the early morning and the period approaching dusk, remaining underground during the hottest parts of the day.

[7]: 598  The diet consists of leaves, stems, grasses, succulents and bulbs, but not seeds or other dry materials.

However climate change may adversely affect it in the future, as it has no particular adaptations for high temperature conditions and this may limit its ability to forage.