Diurnal rodents and humans share similar circadian rhythms. Since the discovery of the circadian clock, scientists have gradually recognized that diurnal rodents exhibit irreplaceable advantages over nocturnal rodents. Recently, they have been exploited as novel models in medical fields such as metabolism, light reflection, neurology regulation, and social behavior. However, diurnal rodents are poorly understood in China. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of circadian rhythms in diurnal animals and the mechanisms behind these animals’ temporal niches. Moreover, to provide an information source for chronobiology, the locomotor activity and application of four well-defined diurnal rodents, Meriones unguiculatus, Octodon degus, Arvicanthis niloticus, and Ammospermophilus leucurus, are reviewed.