Body weight
The unstriped ground squirrel is brownish or tawny in color with a lighter colored front. As the name suggests the "X. rutilus" differs from other species of African ground squirrel by not having dorsal-running longitudinal white stripes. The eye is ringed with white hair (all hair being coarse in observed specimens). Their small head and body measure on average long with an average tail length of . This tail is flat in appearance. Body weight varies across studies and habitats and ranges from . The length of the hind foot is 35–49 mm with a braincase measuring only 24–25 mm.