lonely guinea pig

Question
hi, i used to have 3 guinea pigs mary,pepsi and shirley. unfortunatly mary died a year ago with ovarian cancer and i have just lost shirley 2 days ago so poor pepsi is now on her own, she is 4 and a half..... i have brought her into the house no so she isnt outside in the cold  on her own... she seems so sad, she isnt eating and just seems to have lost her sparkle...unfortunatly out of all the guinea pigs pepsi is the most timid and doesnt like being handled as much as the other two did... i know the obvious thing to do would be to get her a new friend but my daughter is 16 now and doesnt have the time for them like she used too, its down to me and although i love animals and look after them i dont want to keep getting guinea pig after guinea pig... will she get over her loss and any advice on what i can do to make her happier... hope you can help... thank you emma

Answer
Hello Emma!
Well lets solve this.
First, your guinea pig is most likely suffering from depression causing anorexia. That is serious. Take Pepsi to the vets to get some emergency hand fed food and a syringe. Ask the vet for further information on how to care for an anorexic piggy.
Her age is an issue. She is depressed like my guinea pig, Rhinestone rest her soul, was after Cappuccino rest her soul, died. Fortunately Rhinestone was only three so I got her two friends (even though she did die a few weeks later of ovarian cancer). So a friend was an option. Now, if you buy a new guinea pig and Pepsi dies, you will have to buy another, and another, and another. If you don't, you risk Pepsi living for another year and being very sad and lonely most of he time.
I do not suggest getting another elderly guinea pig (Just in case that popped into your mind).
Ultimately the decision is yours, I wish you luck with it.