°C (40-50 °F) for approximately 4-5 days. This simulates “winter” and I have not found any more time to be necessary to stimulate the females to begin to develop eggs. It is not necessary to refrigerate the males at all, as I have found them to be simulated to clasp primarily by the “rain”, but refrigeration can be carried out if desired and no harm will result. After removing the females from the refrigerator, I place them in a small container at room temperature and feed them very heavily for approximately a week and a half. It is especially important to make certain that the females have all the food that they can possibly eat at this time or they may not develop eggs.
After around a week and a half I put all of the toads I wish to breed in a rain chamber. I prefer an ordinary household shower, as the water comes out more forcefully than most pump-type rain chambers. Where I live we have our own well, so nothing is added to the household water, but for most people this is not an option, and a safer method is to use a rain chamber with a pump recirculating tap water that has been treated with a proprietary dechlorinator like Amquel or Aquasafe.
I feel that my shower method this more closely simulates the heavy rainstorms that precede breeding in the wild. At any rate, it works for me. I just make certain that there is no soap or similar products on or in the shower that could harm them. I also see to it that the drain is covered with wire or plastic netting so the toads can’t go down the drain! After taking the necessary precautions, I leave them in the rain chamber for approximately half an hour. Then I raise the water level to 2.5-5 cm (1-2 inches) in depth. At this point I put a few things in for them to climb out on (sticks, plants, rocks, etc.), and I let the water run for the next hour. After about an hour and a half in the rain chamber I remove the toads to a well-planted (Pothos, sphagnum moss, etc.), gravel-based aquarium, 1/4 land and 3/4 water, with a water depth of 2.5-7.5 cm (1-3 inches). The males have often already embraced the females in amplexus when removed from the rain chamber. If not, they usually do so within a few hours of being placed in the aquarium. The eggs are usually laid by the following afternoon. If no eggs are laid by then, it becomes increasingly improbable that any will be. In that case, I return the toads to their normal setup. The males will release the females shortly.[/QUOTE]