[Sundance]

Hello all,
I have a female parrotlet who I have had for over 10 years. I got her as a baby. Unfortunately I no longer have time to interact with her as much as I should and she is becoming depressed.
I am wondering if it would be a good idea to attempt to pai her up with a male? She has never seen another parrotlet. I have parakeets but she wants nothing to do with them. She is also a very spicy individual. But whenever I play parrotlet noises on YouTube she seems to get excited.
For me best case scenario would be for her to pair up so she would never be lonely. Worst case would be if they didn't get along and possibly injure each other.
I'd like to hear some opinions and input on the matter.

 

[HarryTheParrotlet]

Is your bird flighted? Does she play outside her cage when you are home? Do you change up her toys often? Maybe a mate won't fix things....

I feel you're going to get some of the, ”they are fine without a mate, you are their flock" answers ( and they would usually be right). So long as you are prepared to have two birds in separate cages if they don't get along (potentially doubling your problem) then you may be alright. Many on and off the forum have introduced a friend in a separate cage slowly, moving it closer if things are going well but not so close they could harm one another when not supervised. Perhaps they will only get along outside the cages if either is possessive/territorial about their own cage. Perhaps they'll show signs of wanting to bond early on ... or never.
Each bird will have their own personality and preferences/needs.
I have only had Harry for a short (2 years) and have wanted to introduce her to a friend but have not taken that step yet either (so I'm not going to try and influence you either way).
I've recently seen an older bird with her third boyfriend and they were very cuddled up. (She was good with all of them from what I was told)

 

[Sundance]

She is flighted. Whenever I let her out she just wants to hang out with me and she often gets jealous when I'm doing something. I've given her toys ever since I got her but she never plays with them. I've even tried toys that have treats in them that are easy to see but she doesn't care.
Whenever I rearrange her cage she gets scared and doesn't want to go back in.
I have done some training with her. She knows her recall and a few other cute tricks.

 

[Anya]

It is generally thought to be best to only get another bird if you want one - not just get another bird for your bird. Most birds adjust to changes with time. Maybe she needs more time to adjust to you not being around so much. Can you give her at least a hour of good quality time each day with you? Parrotlets are not generally known for being good cage mates and they may not get along. Then you will have two birds you do not have a lot of time for instead of one. It could double your problem. Also having a companion (male or female) in the same cage can lead to hormonal behavior resulting in unwanted egg laying.