The Mexican spiny pocket mouse is currently placed in Heteromys. It has coarse grey-brown fur and cheek pouches, and searches for seeds at night, carrying them to burrows.
The upper coat is rough, dark grey with an orange tint. The underside is white; fur-lined external cheek pouches are present, and the tail is brown above and white below.
It is nocturnal and mainly eats seeds from shrubs and herbs. It can enter torpor when food is scarce and may carry seeds in its cheek pouches to store in burrows.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.