Coyotes and other predators will attempt to prey on these rodents by laying waste to the dens, but the sheer volume of material is usually dissuasive.

Although these animals are solitary, except in the mating season (when they are most vulnerable to predation), dens are frequently found in clusters of up to several dozen, forming rough "communities".

The California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, which has similar distribution, is sometimes found living in woodrat dens.

Their main diet consists of cuttings from branches, inner bark, fungi, leaves, seeds, greens, fruits, and nuts.

[4] While most woodrats are habitat generalists, eating many varieties of plants, there is evidence of local specialization in diets.

[8] Woodrats are prey items of owls, coyotes, hawks, weasels, skunks, snakes, and cats.

[11] Woodrats build extensive nests in trees, on the ground, and on bluffs with dense vegetation or rock cover.

[13] Wood rats are believed to have evolved this behavioral adaptation to cope with the environmental stresses posed by ectoparasites.