Should I get my lovebird a companion?

I adopted a female lovebird in November 2015. She was said to be between 2 - 5 years old when I adopted her.

I have been thinking about adopting a companion for her, to help her preen, and to keep her company.

I am not sure if it's a good idea.

If I do get her a companion, should it be another female lovebird?

Could a different species be a good companion?

Hi. I think yes, no, and no.

I think lovies need company, they are flock birds. Anything you put in will be seen as a potential mate, even if it is a hen. My experience has been that the hens fight when it comes to breeding season because (sorry to put it this way) they cant figure out who should be the guy and who should be the girl. We have some masked that take it in turns, and I've had another pair of sibling hens where one would chase the other around and attack it in breeding season.

So I think you need a boy, but hens will kill boys that they dont like, so you have to allow her to choose who she will allow in the cage. It can be a slightly frustrating process though sometimes they hit it off straight away. Usually start with them in cages side by side and see how they go for a few days, or leave yours at the breeders for a few days to see if someone catches her eye. They can be quite particular.

They will lay eggs, but that is another issue - keep nesting material away from them and throw out the eggs when they are new and that will stop them breeding.

Some lovebirds are OK with other species, but a lot arent. Lovebirds are like big parrots, but smaller, so they can be quite feisty. Hens much moreso. I probably wouldnt.

4 years ago my senior hen lost her hubby when she was about 7 (vitamin deficiency which I posted about today) and I advertised in the online trading post that we were looking for a senior guy. We actually found one that had lost his missus and was stressed, and when we introduced them my girl thought he was pretty hot, so that has been a great success. You could try something like that.

Thank you for the insight.

I am not sure if I am prepared to deal with all that.