Ten species of rodents were trapped from cocoa groves, abandoned agricultural land and a rice field during the wet season in eastern Sierra Leone. Trap success varied be-tween 0.8% and 14.1%. Mean corrected trap success was 6.4%. Data are analyzed in terms of habitat preferences of individual species, community composition and species richness. Results of dietary analysis are presented. The data indicate that the rodent fauna of cocoa groves con-tains both savanna-derived and forest-derived elements, though some habitat specialist species were absent. Habitats with a high percentage of understory cover showed a higher rodent spe-cies diversity and biomass than those with a sparse understory. The habitats contained 43% of the predicted small mammal fauna, including 33% of the forest-dwelling species. Missing spe-cies were mostly arboreal forms. Cocoa groves may provide important refugia for forest-derived small mammal species in areas where deforestation has been extensive.