The clawed jird of Mongolia is active both day and night, foraging for green vegetation, seeds, bulbs and roots. When threatened, it rushes underground, often warning its neighbours of the danger by beating its hindlegs on the sand and emitting a loud peeping call. The clawed jird excavates a simple burrow, with a nesting space and one or two storage chambers at the end of a short tunnel. It supports itself on stores of seeds when food is scarce.