Seeds are stored in burrow and in dispersed caches. Burrows are excavated in silty, sandy, or gravelly soil and used for refuges, seed storage, and neonatal care. Young are born and raised in nest chambers within the burrow. No direct evidence, but probably obtains water from food. Silty, sandy, or gravelly substrate with sparse to moderate canopy is preferred.
Territory probably equals home range.
Gestation period is 23 days. The desert pocket mouse is a small-bodied granivore, specialized for extreme arid environments. Competitors include other heteromyids, especially Dipodomys merriami, and cricetids. Predators include owls, snakes, and predatory mammals. Notes on the life history of the sand pocket mouse.