Rice rats have a very diverse diet, eating plants, fungi and a variety of animals. And a variety of parasites live in rice rats, and they also carry a hantavirus that can infect humans. Therefore, it is not recommended to keep it as a pet.

Rice rats are medium-sized rodents with a black appearance Rat and brown rat, but the color of the upper and lower body is different. Their fur is thick and short. The upper body is generally gray to taupe, the color of the head is slightly lighter, and the lower body turns sharply to white. The cheek pouches are small. The ears of the rice rat are the same color as the upper body, and there is a tuft of light-colored hair in front of the ears. The tail is dark brown on the surface and pale yellow on the underside.