Is mangetout toxic to tortoises?

No, it isn't toxic in the way some foods are, but it's a poor nutritional fit for a herbivorous tortoise's high-fibre, low-protein diet, so it's best left out rather than fed regularly.

Can tortoises eat other peas or beans?

It's best to avoid legumes generally for the same reason — they carry more protein than suits a tortoise's digestive system, which is built around fibrous weeds and leafy greens rather than pulses.

What vegetables are actually good for tortoises?

This depends on your tortoise's species, but weeds like dandelion, plantain and clover, along with appropriate leafy greens, generally form the bulk of a healthy diet. A care sheet specific to your tortoise's species is the best place to check exact suitability.

My tortoise ate mangetout from the garden — should I worry?

A single small amount isn't an emergency, but keep an eye on their appetite and droppings over the next day or two, and speak to an exotics vet if anything seems off or doesn't settle.

Can tortoises eat mangetout?

Mangetout, like other peas and legumes, is best avoided as a regular part of a tortoise's diet. Most pet tortoises are herbivorous grazers who need a diet that's high in fibre and low in protein, and legumes like mangetout run the opposite way — higher in protein and lower in the fibre a tortoise's gut is built around. It isn't an emergency if your tortoise has already had some, but it shouldn't become a habit.

Picked for your pet

Tortoise Feeding Kit

Komodo tortoise salad mix, hay cakes, a flower treat bar and calcium supplement for a balanced tortoise diet.

£20.49

Pettex Reptile Tortoise

Calcium-added tortoise substrate, 10 litres, for arid-habitat tortoises and lizards

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Komodo Tortoise Eco Terrain

Soil and sand substrate for arid tortoises, deep enough to burrow in, 10 litres

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Komodo Tortoise Leaf Mix

A 100G dried botanical leaf mix as a complementary treat for tortoises and other reptiles

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Why legumes don't fit a tortoise's diet

Tortoises kept as pets are typically species that graze on weeds, leafy greens and flowers in the wild, and their digestive systems are adapted to process a high-fibre, low-protein diet slowly. Mangetout and other pod vegetables carry noticeably more protein than the weeds and leaves that should make up the bulk of a tortoise's food.

A diet that's regularly too high in protein has been linked to shell and kidney problems in tortoises over time, along with unnaturally fast growth that isn't the healthy kind. This isn't about mangetout being poisonous in the way some other foods are toxic — it's a poor nutritional fit rather than an emergency.

What happens if a tortoise eats a little

A tortoise who manages to eat a small piece of mangetout once isn't in danger — this is about diet composition over time rather than a single mouthful causing harm. The concern is with mangetout, or other peas and beans, becoming a repeated part of what they're fed.

If your tortoise has eaten a larger amount, or you're keeping an eye on them afterwards, watch for any change in appetite, unusually soft or watery droppings, or lethargy over the following day or two.

What to feed instead

A good tortoise diet is built around weeds, leafy greens and flowers appropriate to your tortoise's species, with a proper tortoise-specific food used to fill gaps rather than relying on vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Our range includes tortoise foods formulated around the fibre-rich diet tortoises actually need, rather than human vegetables chosen because they happen to be on hand.

If you're not sure what's appropriate for your specific tortoise species, a care sheet from a reputable reptile welfare source, or advice from an exotics vet, is worth checking before settling on a regular diet.

When to see a vet

See an exotics vet if your tortoise stops eating, seems unusually lethargic, or you notice ongoing changes in their droppings that don't settle within a day or two. Tortoises are good at hiding illness, since showing weakness isn't a safe strategy for a slow-moving animal in the wild, so a change that seems small to you can already mean more than it appears, and waiting for an obvious symptom can mean waiting too long.

It's also worth a call if you're planning to make legumes or other unsuitable vegetables a regular part of your tortoise's diet without realising, since the effects of a consistently poor diet build up gradually rather than showing as a single dramatic symptom. An exotics vet, or a vet with reptile experience, can review your tortoise's overall diet and flag anything worth changing before it becomes a bigger problem, including habitat and lighting alongside diet, since all three affect a tortoise's long-term health together.

More for your pet

Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.

Komodo Tortoise Hay Cakes

A dried grass and dandelion hay cake for tortoises

£4.19

Komodo Tortoise Fruit Mix

A fruit-based treat mix for tortoises, made from dandelion, aronia berries, strawberry and redcurrants

£5.29

Komodo Tortoise Food Salad Mix

A complete holistic tortoise diet flavoured to taste like fresh salad

£7.29

Komodo Tortoise Food Cucumber

A complete holistic tortoise diet in cucumber flavour, high in fibre

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Common questions

Is mangetout toxic to tortoises?: No, it isn't toxic in the way some foods are, but it's a poor nutritional fit for a herbivorous tortoise's high-fibre, low-protein diet, so it's best left out rather than fed regularly.
Can tortoises eat other peas or beans?: It's best to avoid legumes generally for the same reason — they carry more protein than suits a tortoise's digestive system, which is built around fibrous weeds and leafy greens rather than pulses.
What vegetables are actually good for tortoises?: This depends on your tortoise's species, but weeds like dandelion, plantain and clover, along with appropriate leafy greens, generally form the bulk of a healthy diet. A care sheet specific to your tortoise's species is the best place to check exact suitability.
My tortoise ate mangetout from the garden — should I worry?: A single small amount isn't an emergency, but keep an eye on their appetite and droppings over the next day or two, and speak to an exotics vet if anything seems off or doesn't settle.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.