The desert dormouse is a small mammal of dry country around Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. It searches for prey on the ground and among low shrubs.
Its soft fur ranges from gray to tawny on the back and is pale underneath. The tail is differently colored on its upper and lower sides.
It is most often active around dusk and at night, though it has also been recorded by day. It climbs shrubs to search for insects and other small prey, and hibernation is reported in cold periods.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.