I think my pet duck is lonely, how can I help him?
I bought two ducklings in October, named <PERSON> and <PERSON>. I always loved ducks, and I needed a pet to keep me company as I was in a bad place mentally, so I chose to buy them. They really helped keep me happy and accountable as I got to hang out with them and care for them every day. They followed me around the house and LOVED competing for cuddles with me, and I gave them lots of fruits and vegetables. I live in a wooded area with lots of wild animals, and wanted to treat them more as pets than as farm animals, so while they were still growing I would keep them inside if I couldn't keep an eye on them. We would go out every day but at night or if I was at work I had a large crate for them to roam in out of harm's way. In the spring when they were full grown, I started to transition them to spend more time outdoors. My dad made a great cage for them that we thought was fail-safe, but while I was out of town one weekend raccoons cut through a weak spot and got to them. My grandparents heard the noise and were thankfully able to save <PERSON>, but <PERSON> was already gone.
It has been one month of just <PERSON> and I, and I have been trying to keep an eye on his happiness levels. 210
He was at first more jumpy and more anxious being outside, but seems to be better now. He is also much more clingy around me, always wanting to be on the couch next to me (he sits on a designated towel so the couch stays clean), and will quack more loudly if I leave the room. I know how hard the loss of his buddy was, especially because ducks like being in groups, so I have tried to give him lots of attention to make up for it. The last few days he has spent a lot of time next to the oven, and I realized that he's looking at his reflection in the glass. I don't know if he sees <PERSON> or just a potential friend, but it seems like he may be more lonely than I thought.
What should I do to help him? I could get another duck, but I don't know how he would handle a new guy in his space and I'm worried that he wouldn't treat a new duck well. I'm hesitant to get a duckling since I wouldn't know its gender until it's a bit older and I have no intentions to breed ducks, and since it would be so much smaller than <PERSON>. My dad mentioned trying to rehome him to a place with other ducks, but he is extremely tame with basically no survival instincts left and has an attachment to me over other people, so I don't think him leaving to a different environment without me is the best idea. I'm trying not to be selfish, but I also have a big attachment to him and losing one duck was already hard enough on me for the summer. I read that sometimes a mirror is helpful enough to stop loneliness, and since he has always had way more human interaction than most ducks he may be more content by himself than others, but I don't want him to be miserable if there's anything I can do. Any advice? 210