As hatchling and young babies, it is impossible to tell the sex by simply viewing them. Both are relatively the same size and both are of proportionate size. When sexually mature, males will be larger in overall size. In addition, a male s head will be much bigger in proportion to its body. Males also tend to show more aggressive behavior as adults such as blackening of their beard, and rapid head bobbing.
Males also develop large pre-anal and femoral pores.
Females from time of birth to adulthood grow gradually, their heads stay relatively proportionate to their bodies. P. vitticeps is an omnivorous species of scavengers that will feed on almost anything that they come across including insects, small animals, flowers, greenery, and fruit. In the wild, P. vitticeps will devour plant material such as dandelions, day lilies, clover, and wild mustard. In the wild, it was noted by Fred Rossignali that vitticeps ate mostly seeds. However , Raymond Hoser observed that during particular parts of the year, beetles made up their primary diet.