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The Benefits of Ball-Style Enrichment Products

There’s something fun and exciting about rolling, throwing, and catching a ball.

Maybe you’ve played fetch with a dog or watched a cat bat a ball around. The truth is many animals, both exotic and domestic, obtain entertainment and comfort with ball enrichment devices. Balls facilitate exercise, exploration, interaction with the environment and other animals, and can also be a bond-forming between animals and caregivers. We have ball-style environmental enrichment products for all sizes of animals ranging from mice to hoof stock. Keep in mind when it comes to enrichment, the only limit is your imagination. A tough dog ball works with pigs, horses, and primates. A tiny bird ball can be used with small cats and even rodents like mice and rats.

The Jolly Ball Push-N-Play was designed to be an indestructible dog ball. These balls hold up to fetching, chewing, and rough play. They even float! That makes the Jolly Ball ideal for pigs, zebras, wolves, and primates ranging from apes to macaques. The Texas Biomedical Research Institute recommends the use of balls for primate manipulative enrichment. In particular, hard plastic balls, like the Jolly Ball, are recommended.

Jolly Ball Push-N-Play

Feeder balls, like the Stubbs England Horsey Ball, have proven to be effective enrichment with a variety of animals like zebras, horses, pigs, wolves, coyotes and other foraging animals.

The Horsey Ball is a “dribble feeder.” The idea is to load the ball with appropriate biscuit or kibbled foods. As the device is rolled, nudged, or handled, food is slowly dispensed. This multisensory enrichment using treat-based puzzle-solving has proven effective with swine, primates, and bears. Treat-dispensing balls have even helped with captive walruses!

Stubbs England Horsey Ball

Research continues to show that enrichment is beneficial and even essential for small animal health in zoo, shelter, and research settings. Soft ball products like the Ferret Sport Ball are easy for animals like mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small mammals to nudge, carry, roll and nestle. The Atomic Nut Ball is an all-wood toy designed to be chewable. This satisfies the desire of rabbits and other small animals to gnaw and chew, preventing boredom and stereotypical behavior in enclosures and petting displays.

Atomic Nut Ball
Ferret Sport Ball

Don’t forget the birds!

Conures, African grays, cockatoos, cockatiels, and other parrots love to manipulate, taste, rattle, and tug on small balls. Foraging balls provide puzzle-solving activities with a food reward and have been shown to be effective with parrots. The hanging Buffet Ball provides parrots with needed visual, tactile, and taste stimuli.

Buffet Ball

Caring for large animals? They’ll benefit from large balls!

Amber Barnes, writing about horse enrichment for Opensanctuary.org, recommends rolling enrichment devices coupled with food dispensing. Sheep, goats, cattle, large primates, and bears will benefit from products like the huge 30” Planet Ball. It’s big, tough, and easy to roll!

30″ Planet Ball

No matter what type of animals you have in your facility, there are ball-style enrichment devices that improve animal health, quality of life, and research outcomes.

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What’s the deal with KONG?

You probably recognize the KONG brand of dog toys. Did you know KONG has been producing enrichment products for exotic and companion animals since 1976?

KONG is recognized by animal professionals around the world as a manufacturer of exceptional enrichment products for all kinds of animals. Whether in a zoo, home, laboratory, or shelter, these products will help animals feel secure in their environment.

KONG products have been the subject of primate enrichment research studies and found to provide effective enrichment through novel product design. The Texas Biomedical Research Institute recommends KONG products like the Hanging Rubber Forager and Stuff a Ball, in their Primate Enrichment Manual. But the Kong enrichment products go beyond primates.

hanging red rubber foraging device
Hanging KONG Classic

Amber Banes, writing about enrichment for horses for the Open Sanctuary Project, says “Add things they can manipulate with their hooves, like balls, and things they can toss around with their mouths.” KONG manufactures durable balls suitable for horses and other hooved animals. Research indicates that horses and other animals fare better when they are offered grazing variety and challenges. Slow-feeding reduced stereotypical behavior. The KONG Zoo Classic is designed to make it easy to provide this form of enrichment.

kong zoo classic gallery with sku
KONG Zoo Classic (3 Styles)

You’re familiar with KONG dog chew toys but they’re great for all canines. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (Phoenix, AZ) found that KONG toys stuffed with treats helped dogs stay calm while in quarantine. You can use the same technique for all canids: like wolves, jackals, and foxes. Whether in an enclosure, during transport, while in veterinary care, or when acclimating a new arrival.

Perdue University’s Center for Animal Welfare Science notes that canine boredom is a real issue and can be countered with enrichment products stuffed with treats, tossing a ball during human-canine interaction, and even tug of wars with other canines. It’s also important to periodically change the enrichment toys to keep the animals interested and challenged.

We can’t forget about cats, large or small!

Don’t be fooled by their stoic behavior. Unhappy felines can appear calm but have elevated stress hormones. The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) have published the Environmental Needs Guidelines for cats. Larger cats in zoo and park environments have similar enrichment needs. All have a desire to stalk, pounce, chew and explore interesting scents, tastes, and textures. KONG has created a full range of enrichment products for any sized cat. The Nibble Crtitters Catnipillar is ideal for small cats. The Duratreat Ring is a food puzzle that you fill with interesting scents and tastes and can be enjoyed by larger cats.

There is no limit to where you’ll be able to use KONG products in your animal care facility. Chickens and other birds can become stressed if not provided with an interesting environment. One of the ways to keep birds happy is through the use of enrichment toys like colorful balls and feeding puzzles.

chickens playing with kong genius leo
KONG Genius Leo

No matter what animals your caring for KONG has safe, durable products that will fit right into your enrichment program.

 

YouTube video of KONG manufacturing:

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Creating Habitat Enrichment with Ladders, Rafts, and Hammocks

primate in a round hammock

Periodically changing your animal’s environment creates new experiences that stimulate mind and body.

Physical and cognitive enrichment counter “under-challenge” situations where animals become bored. Research suggests that when animals learn to “conquer” a new challenge, it results in better emotional health and less stress. Marian Stamp Dawkins (Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford) notes that when animals are prevented from performing desired activities, abnormal and sometimes harmful behaviors come to the surface. Cage biting often leads to mouth damage. Birds may scratch about or fight with other birds. Elephants rock back and forth.

Adding enrichment items that mimic vines, trees, and perching areas stimulate animals to explore their environment, exercising mind and body. It is not necessary to “remodel” your animal’s habitat to keep them engaged and healthy.

Here are a few time-tested enrichment devices that are easy to install and work with a variety of animals.

The Tirezan Primate Swing was developed for monkeys, apes, and orangutans. But we found other animals like Pandas and Koalas find the Tirezan appealing. The natural rubber tire hangs from three stainless-steel chains. The polypropylene upper deck prevents the chains from getting tangled and makes it easy to hang the Tirezan from a tree or other mount.

tirezan swing
Tirezan Swing

Smaller primates like Tamarins, Marmosets, Gibbons, and Macaques love to hang and swing from the Dream Swing. Made from sturdy, high-density plastic, the Dream Swing can take rough play and multiple primates climbing aboard. The swing is 16” wide and comes with an 18” stainless-steel chain for hanging. You can even add Hanging Snack Balls to add food-based enrichment. Small primates enjoy moving about above-ground, much like their behavior in the wild.

Dream Swing

The Collapsible Ladder provides small primates an elevated place to climb and explore. The 1” PEX plastic rungs are easy to grasp with paw or claws. You can hang the ladder between posts, trees, or attach it to a wall. Need a longer ladder? Just join two ladders together with the clasps. The ladder also works well with larger parrots as a perch.

collapsible ladder
Collapsible Ladder

Rest time is not time wasted, animals need a comfy and secure location to nap or lounge.

The Banana Hammock is a favorite among ferrets. The soft fleece and pouch-like hammock creates the ideal bedding and social meeting place. Large animals need a sturdy hammock that can handle the weight and wear caused by heavy animals. The Aussie Dog Borneo Hammock is three meters in diameter. Made of rip-stop canvas, the Borneo Hammock will support large primates, bears and other heavy carnivores.

Aussie Dog Borneo Hammock

Mammals like otters, seals, sea lions and other pinnipeds enjoy gathering on a raft or just lazing in the sun. The Aussie Dog Seal Float provides a stable raft made of rip-stop webbing and a stainless-steel frame. The smaller Otter Float with mirror appeals to otters but also attracts seabirds.

Aussie Dog Seal Float

We offer many more swings, ladders, and rafts, in a variety of materials and sizes for just about any animal in your care. If you need enrichment ideas, please contact us.

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Animals That Rarely Get Cancer – Current Research Explores Why

Cancer is the one of leading causes of death globally among humans. But did you know that cancer is widespread among animals? The American Cancer Society estimates in 2022, 1,918,030 new cancer cases are projected to arise in the United States alone. Each time a cell divides, there is a chance for a genetic mutation. These mutations can lead to cancer. Chances are you know of someone affected by the disease. Cancer takes its toll on wild and domesticated fish, birds, mollusks, reptiles, and mammals. Some animals develop forms of cancer similar to humans.  Rare forms are contagious! Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian Devil populations. On the opposite side, some animals seem to be almost immune to cancer.

Why elephants rarely get cancer has puzzled researchers for decades. New research revealed elephants have 38 additional modified copies of the gene TP53, which acts as a tumor suppressor (Humans have only two). Elephants also have a more robust mechanism for killing damaged cells that are at risk for becoming cancerous. But elephants aren’t the only animals resistant to cancer, whales are too!

Unlike elephants,  whales have only one copy of the TP53 gene. Being so large and having so many cells should mean greater chance of DNA mutations, which lead to cancer cell development. But genetic research on bowhead and other whales, indicate that whales have fewer DNA mutations than other animals, which may be one of the reasons for resistance to cancer. One theory is that whales have a more efficient cancer suppression system.

elephant drum
Elephant Drum Enrichment Device

 

Another animal, much smaller than whales, is also the subject of cancer research. While mice are very prone to cancer, the Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is not. Studies at The Gorbunova and Seluanov Laboratory (University of Rochester) found that the animals make an ultra-high molecular weight form of hyaluronic acid, which may play a role in cancer resistance.

The Blind Mole Rat (Spalax) is also the subject of cancer research. Tumors have never been observed in these animals. Research demonstrated that Blind Mole Rats are resistant to spontaneous cancer but also lab-induced cancer. Spalax fibroblasts inhibit cancer growth and facilitate cancer cells death.

So, what does this mean for the direction of cancer research? Daniela Tejada-Martinez at the Austral University of Chile is studying tumor-suppressing whale genes. She says:

“It’s not like we’re gonna be taking whale genes and putting them into humans and making humans cancer resistant,” says Lynch. “But if you can find the genes that play a role in tumor suppression in other animals, and if you could figure out what they’re doing, maybe you can make a drug that mimics that for human treatment.”

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Tips for Enriching Your Animal’s Aquatic Habitat

enriching device for aquatic animal polar bear

Summertime brings many visitors to zoos and public aquariums. It is no secret people love watching animals have fun in the water. But as any animal care professional knows, it takes more than just water to keep the animals engaged with their environment.

Ursids are inquisitive. Bears need interesting things to keep them curious and active in their environment. Bears really enjoy wrestling with large objects on land and in the water. The Funny Float is designed to provide large animals like bears and tigers with a toy that is the right size and shape, and able to stand up to the rough treatment dished out by these animals. Instead of taking a one size fits all approach, the Funny Float is available in a variety of sizes and wall thickness so you can match the float to the animal. Funny Floats are available in over twenty color patterns, making it easy to select the right design for your exhibit.

If you are caring for polar bears, penguins, otters, turtles, and other animals that enjoy the water, the Ice Flow has proven to be a winner. The Ice Flow is a floating platform for penguins and other birds. It’s also something for bears and tigers to push around. To increase engagement and curiosity, the Ice Flow has a food chamber that slowly releases food scent and flavor through six grooves molded into the structure.

Creating the proper environment for penguins is key to their long-term wellbeing. Many of the more common enrichment tools are not interesting to the birds. Some Penguin keepers have given up on the idea of using enrichment toys. Georgia Podmore from Penguins International notes that birds are sometimes nervous around the balls and other objects. She suggests experimenting with a mirror suspended under water. This is good advice. Our Underwater Mirror is built for this purpose! The exhibit-safe Lexan mirrors and stainless-steel hardware are durable and will not corrode. The Underwater Mirror provides penguins (and other aquatic life) an engaging focal point within the underwater environment.

An otter environment requires land and aquatic habitats to reduce stress and keep the family groups cohesive. It is recommended to provide otters with complex shapes in the aquatic side of the display. Aussie Dog Zoo designed their Otter Float with this in mind. The Float provides a stable platform for lazing in the sun and playing with others in the group. A Lexan mirror completes the package for full sensory, physical and interactive enrichment. Penguins and other seabirds also find the floating platform appealing.

A simple way to stimulate many of the animals in your care is with our Teaser Balls. More than a regular ball toy, Teaser Balls are a ball within a ball. This design has proven popular with many animals because it provides physical and auditory stimulation. The sights and sounds of the rattling balls are like a puzzle to solve. Whether on land or in the water, your animals will love chewing, pushing and playing with a Teaser Ball.