Muscle thermogenesis is a possible untapped source for increasing energy expenditure to counter obesity. Our research program has shown that exposing rats to predator odor (PO) induces a rapid and robust increase in muscle thermogenesis that peaks by 30 min and settles to near baseline after 4 hours. Previous studies have shown that the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) regulates body weight, muscle metabolism, sympathetic nervous system activity, and the behavioral response to predator threat. We investigated possible PO-induced changes in the VMH by exposing rats to predator odor for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Tissue samples were taken from the VMH, and mRNA expression was measured using qPCR, showing an increase in Sirt 1 and Bdnf, but not SF1, after 4 hours of PO exposure. RNA-sequencing revealed themes of immune response, oxidative stress, and synaptic plasticity allowing us to conclude that PO exposure causes upregulation of novel genes pathways.