When speed is necessary, each hop may be two meters or more in length. Bathing in dust apparently is necessary for the welfare of kangaroo rats. When denied dust bathing, captives develop sores on the body, and the fur becomes matted from the oily secretions on the back. Kangaroo rats usually prefer well-drained, easily worked soil, in which they excavate their burrows. It also makes a number of small escape holes around its home range.
All species are primarily nocturnal.
Each individual traveled about 350 meters during its nightly foraging rounds. The diet of Dipodomys includes seeds, some fruits, leaves, stems, buds, and insects. Because of potential shortages caused by drought, most species store food in their burrows. All food and nest materials are transported in the cheek pouches, placed there by the small forefeet, which also are shoved forward simultaneously from the outside to empty the pouches. Kangaroo rats seldom drink water, for they are able to use water resulting from the chemical breakdown of their food.