He instructed me to get a digital baloon and play with my pet. i've played with both my pets using the digital baloon and he won't awknowledge it

You can only play with a toy if your pet is unhappy. You'll need to remove a minion from one of your pets in order to lower its happiness.

i'll try that, but they should be unhappy

You'll have to wait awhile for one to become unhappy. Minions will keep your pet from being unhappy.