It has a robust, rounded body and soft dense fur, the upper parts being grey and the underparts white.

Unusually for a mammal, it sheds the upper layers of its skin with the hairs when it moults, starting at the back of the neck and continuing along the body and flanks, the whole process taking about a month.

These animals have been little studied in the wild, but in captivity may shelter under rocks and foliage when the weather is warm and only burrow underground during cold periods.

[1] Pregnant and lactating females have been found in late May and June, with litter sizes of four to eight young being recorded.

[1] S. betpakdalaensis has a large range in southern and eastern Kazakhstan but is not abundant, being known from only about forty individuals scattered over about thirty locations, many in the deserts around Lake Balkhash.