The eastern pygmy-possum is light-brown on top and white underneath. It is small, weighing between 15 and 43 grams and measuring 70 to 110 millimeters in head and body length. It has an almost naked, prehensile tail, big, forward-facing ears, long whiskers, and large, bulging eyes. It feeds primarily on nectar and pollen using its brush tipped tongue to collect food resources, but it does eat insects and also will eat fruits if flowers are unavailable.