The underparts are whitish or yellowish. The finely scaled and scantily haired tail is either entirely dull brownish or slightly bicolored, in which case the underside is paler. The remarkably long tail is semiprehensile. The forefeet have only three well-developed digits, but the hind feet are normal. The upper incisors are grooved.
Females have eight mammae.
African climbing mice are found in a variety of habitats at elevations ranging from sea level to more than 4,300 meters. Some populations are known to spend most of their time on the ground or even in subterranean burrows. D. mystacalis, evidently the species best adapted to climbing, may build its nest 3 meters or more above the ground in banana trees or thatched roofs, though more often nests are placed somewhat lower in thick vegetation. D. melanotis and D. nyikae may build their nests in underground burrows, apparently to avoid annual fires. African climbing mice also have been known to reline and occupy the nests originally built by sunbirds and weaverbirds.