The back of the short-tailed hamster is yellow-brown with gray, and the body is soft. The back of the ear is black-grey, and the base is lighter and tan. The front edge of the ear base has a tuft of white hairs.

Short-tailed hamsters have white ventral hair and a pale gray base in the center of the abdomen. Neck, throat and cheeks are pure white. The tail hair has two colors, the top is the same as the back hair, but the color is slightly lighter, the ventral surface is white, and the rump and the back are the same color on both sides of the tail base. The fur on the back of the limbs is the same as the back, and the ventral sides of the limbs are white. The soles of the feet are bare and the back is white.