The Common Malacomys has long hind feet and a tail longer than its head and body. An identification key that includes records from Rwanda's forests summarizes it as often found near water.
It is described with long hind feet, large naked ears, long whiskers, and a tail longer than the head and body. The back is dark gray in juveniles and subadults, and often rufous to deep rufous in adults.
The paper's identification table says it is often recorded near rivers, streams, or swamps, though some records lie more than 100 m from a water source.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.