Adult males have pronounced femoral pores and are usually slightly more robust than females in the neck and head region.
In order to breed them a period of winter rest is required (reduced photoperiod and temperatures). Precise info on how (or if) you should hibernate them would depend on which of 6 subspecies are you working with, since the species inhabits an enormous range of habitats with significantly different climates (Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Kazahstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldavia, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan).