Lethargic hypothermia induced by a protein free diet in a hibernating rodent, the dormouse (Eliomys quercinus L.)]

In garden dormouse protein deficiency leads to reversible hypothermic torpor, comparable with that provoked by starvation or occuring naturally during hibernation, whether the diet consists wholly of apples or of synthetic protein-free food. Torpor induced by protein deficiency occurs even though the energy requirements of the animal are amply satisfied. These phases of lethargy occur after a certain delay and with a variable frequency, both of which vary with the ambient temperature.