The pelage is short except at the tip of the tail, where it is long and forms a tuft. The general coloration of the upper parts ranges through several gray and brown shades. The underparts are creamy or white. There are usually some black markings on the face.
Females have eight mammae.
It also occurs in a variety of other habitats, including swamps, rocky areas, and cultivated fields. It shelters in such diverse places as hollow trees, branches of shrubs, crevices among rocks, and foresters' huts. A bird or squirrel nest may be used as a foundation for a shelter, but when Eliomys builds a complete nest, it is made of leaves and grass, is compact and globular in shape, and usually is located 0.8-3.0 meters above the ground. It is apparently most active by night. In some areas it is known to gain weight in the fall and to become dormant during the coldest part of winter.