Female Budgies Cere Damaged

Question
Hello! I have a female budgie which shows signs of damage to her cere. There
appears to be an extension of tissue either separated or growing out of her
cere. I suspect the former case since when I arrived home this evening, her
cere looked like this (please paste this url in your browser to download a
picture of her current state): http://senduit.com/bf7b73

Could you please let me know if she needs to see a veterinarian or if she'll be
okay? I don't have much money, but I don't want her to be in pain. She
appears to be breathing with a bit of a whistle and she doesn't seem
distresses but one never knows I suppose. I know this is not your speciality
and I'm sorry to bug you on a budgie matter but it seems that the other two
are on vacation. Thank you so much for your help as I am very worried.

Answer
For whatever reason, when I downloaded the picture, it showed a blank picture.  It's my computer's fault, not yours.  

Does she seem to be picking or scratching at the area?  I know you said that she doesn't seem distressed, but sometimes just a little scratching goes unnoticed.

I doubt that it's serious.  A budgie's cere goes through a lot of changes.  They are very full and colorful during the breeding season and when it ends, the color fades and sometimes it gets sort of dry and crusty looking.  I'm not a vet, so I can't give you a diagnosis, but my guess is that it's normal seasonal hormonal changes.  I had a budgie who recently passed.  From the time she was about 10 to the time she was 18 when she died, she had a crusty, dry cere that looked like it was damaged but the vet said she was fine.

As for the whistling, it could be due to the cere, or it could be some congestion.  Try running a hot shower in the bathroom and letting the room get warm and steamy.  Then put her cage in there and let her stay in the steam for about 20 minutes.  It may not help with the whistling, but it can't hurt her.

You don't have to worry about bugging me, it's no trouble.  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Happy holidays!