Although the darkness of the fur can vary quite a bit geographically, it is always grey or grey-brown dorsally with cream-colored underparts, forelegs, and feet.

[3] It occupies much of the Pacific coast and adjacent mountains of Central America (from Costa Rica to Guatemala) and southernmost Mexico,[1][4] usually from the lowlands to elevations of 1500 meters.

[5] Heteromys salvini reaches its greatest abundance in a geographic range that is mostly semiarid tropical lowland forest.

Because they are not often satisfied with a single meal, they can be found with cheek pouches full of seeds that are stowed away in their burrows and used when food resources are scarce.

In dry forest systems, home ranges of .20 ha overlap, but intolerance and aggression is shown to members of the same sex.