[7][8] Distribution of subspecies is:[2][3] The yellow-eared pocket mouse occurs on the eastern slope of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California.

[2] The Great Basin pocket mouse occupies steppes and open, arid shrublands and woodlands.

[2] Riparian zones may have larger concentrations of Great Basin pocket mice than upland areas.

[9][10] In late fall and winter, Great Basin pocket mice remain in their burrows in a state of torpor.

Following emergence from the burrow, the lengthening photoperiod of spring apparently triggers final enlargement and development of gonads for breeding.

In the laboratory, an artificial short day-long night summer photoperiod caused gonadal shrinkage in Great Basin pocket mice.

In nature, Great Basin pocket mice remain reproductively active through fall in years of favorable plant production.

[17][18][19] Home ranges of 7,060 to 9,630 square feet (656 to 895 m2) have been reported for Great Basin pocket mice in British Columbia.

[8] Great Basin pocket mice consume primarily seeds, but eat some green vegetation.

Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides),[25] cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Russian-thistle (Salsola kali),[15] antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), pigweed (Amaranthus spp.

In productive years, cheatgrass seeds formed a major portion of the diet of Great Basin pocket mice in southeastern Washington.

[25] Estimated seed intake of a Great Basin pocket mouse is from 4% to 10% of total body weight daily.

[15] To conserve energy when food is scarce in summer, Great Basin pocket mice often enter a state of torpor that lasts a few hours.