Unanesthetized and unrestrained rats, chronically cannulated in the carotid artery, were exposed to normal air (NA) and Helox (21% O2, 79% He) at ambient temperatures (Ta) of 22 and -10 degrees C. In Helox at Ta = 22 degrees C, the Vo2 was 1.39 ml O2/g-h and the Vco2 0.98 ml CO2/g-h, 145 and 126%, respectively, of the values in NA at Ta = 22 degrees C. The arterial Pao2, Paco2, and pH were comparable in Helox and NA at Ta = 22 degrees C. In Helox at Ta = -10 degrees C, rats invariably became hypothermic after exposure of 0.75 to 1.5 h. During the induction of hypothermia the decrease of Vo2 and Vco2 was oscillatory, Pao2 and pH increased, and Paco2 decreased significatnly (P less than 0.05). Minimum Vo2 and Vco2 during hypothermia averaged 0.71 ml O2/g-h and 0.50 ml CO2/g-h, 23 and 22%, respectively, of the values in normothermic animals at Ta = -10 degrees C. Minimum body temperature during hypothermia was clamped at 21.7 +/- 0.3 degrees C (X +/- SE) by increasing Ta to 19 degrees C. When Helox was replaced by NA, hypothermic rats rewarmed spontaneously, returning to normothermia within 4 h. The data suggest that hypothermia induced by Helox plus cold does not seem to be due to respiratory failure, as systemic hypoxia or hypercapnia were not observed. The controlled hypothermia cycle reported here provides a model for dynamic studies of thermogenic mechanisms both at the normothermic and hypothermic states without the interference of drugs and other nonphysiological treatments.