The aims of this study were (i) to specify real risk elemetnt (RE) uptake by wild terresrial mammals (A. sylvaticusandM. arvalis), (ii) to describe RE distribution in critical organs such as the liver and kidney, and (iii) to determine potencial differences in RE toxicokinetics with regards to individual species or sex. Three groups of experimental animals were fed diets amended with soil and green biomass of hyperaccumulatorArabidopsis halleriwith different RE levels. The contents of As, Cd, and Pb in the liver and kidneys of the animals reflected the element contents in the diet. Higher Cd and Pb accumulation ability was observed inA. sylvaticuscompared toM. arvalistissues, and an opposite pattern was recorded for As. Zn contents in tissues of both species remained unchanged, and total contents of Zn in the exposed animals even tended to decrease compared to the controls. Results of this study indicate a generally similar response of both species to elevated RE contents in the diet, confirming these wild rodents as suitable models for RE biomonitoring in ecosystems. However, our data highlights some distinction in As toxicokinetics in wood mice compared to that of field voles and a significantly higher accumulation of Pb and Cd in females. Therefore, factors of species and sex should not be overlooked if relevant data are to be obtained in environmental studies conducted on small terrestrial rodents.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-023-26437-z.