This mouse has a striking golden coloration and dense, soft pelage. The upper parts are rich golden brown or bright golden cinnamon, and the feet and belly are white, often washed with orange.
Females have six mammae.
Over most of its range the genus is mainly arboreal and builds nestlike structures in vines, bushes, and trees. At the western limits of its range, however, at least in eastern Texas, it is not arboreal. In Texas, and possibly during the summer in other parts of its range, Ochrotomys seems to spend more time on the ground than in trees and apparently uses nests placed under logs and stumps. Individuals have been trapped in a swamp in Florida in underground runways. The golden mouse is an agile animal, using its tail as a balancing and prehensile organ when climbing.