It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

It is both nocturnal and arboreal and makes bulky nests in the trees, often acacias, where it feeds on leaves and buds.

A pair of rats and their offspring may share a nest, moving off at dusk to climb into the canopy where they nibble on young Acacia shoots, or cross into other large trees such as leadwood and mopane to feed.

The diet mainly consists of leaves and buds, but also includes the outer layers of Acacia seed pods, occasional insects, and gum that oozes from the branches where the rats create grooves in the bark.

[4][3] The black-tailed tree rat is a common species, has a wide range and is presumed to have a large total population.