The pebbles are of a uniform size and cover a large area, often 1 meter in diameter. The pebbles are probably collected both by excavation and from the surface. Some local mammalogists believe these are used as dew traps. Since the air around the pebbles warms more rapidly as the sun rises than do the pebbles themselves, dew forms on the pebbles by condensation. As the areas in which these mounds are found are quite dry, except after heavy rain, these dew traps solve the problem of water shortage.
Local farmers use the many pebble mounds for mixing concrete.
It is believed that the ancient people of the Mediterranean region used a dew trap method comparable to that of P. chapmani. The species P. albocinereus tunnels in the sand to about one meter below the surface. The burrows have several openings, at least one of which is used exclusively for throwing sand to the surface from the tunnel. Many of the entrances have surplus sand piled around the opening. Most of the occupied burrows are difficult to locate, as the mice often close the entrances from the inside.