In some forms the coat is dense, and in others it is thin, but in all forms the tail is practically naked and the hands and feet are scantily haired. The general coloration of the upper parts ranges from fawn or yellowish brown to grayish brown, mixed in places with red, and the underparts are grayish to whitish. The color of the back gradually merges into that of the sides and flanks without a distinctive line of demarcation. All the claws except the rudimentary thumb are armed with strong, nearly straight nails. The incisor teeth are stout and broad.
Females have eight mammae.
The short-tailed bandicoot rat usually lives in moist areas or along streams and canals within a variety of general habitats, including deserts, steppes, cultivated areas, and forests. The elevational range is from about 26 meters below to 1,500 meters above sea level. This animal burrows extensively, usually at depths of 15-60 cm, and throws the loose soil onto the surface of the ground around the tunnel entrance. One burrow system excavated in this area consisted of a nest chamber about 30 cm in diameter and a connecting main tunnel that ran for about 4.5 meters, with periodic side tunnels and ventilation holes leading to the surface. In some areas at least, Nesokia also makes well-defined runways along the surface.