...Any advice on how I'd discourage her biting me hard? I read that by reacting they are encouraged to do it more as they crave attention.
Not reacting is simply an invitation for her to bite harder. Remember that, in some respects, a parrot is like a toddler. If a little child who didn't know any better just crawled/waddled up to his mother and cracked her one in the face, should that parent just act as though nothing has happened? And if she did, how would the child learn that such tactile interaction is not an acceptable means of expression? Yup, she'd be raising a habitual face-slapper! Lol!
Same deal with your parrot. If you simply take the bite without a reaction, how is she supposed to know that she did anything wrong? After all, you didn't seem to mind... so what's the problem?
So yes, you should indeed react. The trick is not to
overreact. Or react
animatedly. Hollering at your bird does not necessarily help, because there is a lack of context, there. You and I are both human. If I yell at you, it's understood that I'm having an issue of sorts with you at the moment. But loud noises in parrot world do not necessarily equate to negative emotions. So, without the context provided by a firm grasp of human social norms, your raised voice might be misconstrued as a good thing. Entertainment, even. In which case, you'd be training her to bite hard.
Bite pressure training is simply teaching your bird the boundaries of acceptable beak pressure. How? Communication. When her playful beaking crosses the pressure line into the uncomfortable range, (very important. Don't wait for it to hurt. Draw the line at discomfort) tell her "no" in a calm and even, yet stern tone of voice. If the harder beaking/nipping continues, you should remove her beak from your skin and put her on timeout. (With Bixby, I had an intermediate step before the timeout that worked like a charm. I would wobble my hand/arm at the moment I said "no", not enough to make him fall, but just enough to slightly disrupt and threaten his balance. This worked to form an association between the word "no" and the unsettling sensation of a loss of balance. A timeout was rarely needed. And after a while, saying "no" was enough to discourage any bad behavior. Buuuuuut... depending on the bird this can backfire. Maya, my female ekkie, has a biting issue with my wife. But when she tried this technique on her, it simply annoyed Maya - whose balance and grip strength were simply superior to Bixby's - and prompted her to bite harder, faster, and with decidedly more enthusiasm.)
The timeout should last no less than 5 minutes, but no more, in my opinion, than say 15. And during that timeout, you should have no interaction with your bird. Totally freeze her out. Move away from the cage and then turn your back on her. It's important that the association is made between a certain amount of pressure and a loss of fun time with her person.
Done consistently, she'll get it. They're quite intelligent and can pick things up rather quickly. But consistency is the key.
