Common to uncommon in coastal scrub, chamise-redshank and mixed chaparral, and in sagebrush habitats. Cactus mice in coastal scrub of California feed heavily on shrub foliage, seeds, fruits, and flowers. Poison-oak is eaten in fall and winter. Treefoil is a major spring food plant, followed by sage and various grasses. Little is known about nest characterisics.
Sandy soils are preferred, probably in part for excavating burrows or occupying abandoned burrows.
Under lab conditions up to 12 litters per yr, and maximum lifetime litter number of 16. May breed in first few months. Scansorial omnivore with excellent climbing abilities. Predators include raptorial birds, snakes, and predatory mammals. Rainfall and fluctuating plant populations in relation to distributions and numbers of desert rodents in southern Nevada.