Ideas for Training a Blind & Deaf Rabbit

Thought I'd ask the collective wisdom of RU for ideas on how to teach a bunny that is showing signs of hearing loss (observation based not vet diagnosed). Harley is 10 years old and also blind due to cataracts so using sight based cues that I want him to come to me or in for the evening isn't an option.

His main run is on the grass connected by Runnaround to his patio run which is too small for me to limit him to that area. The setup is this way so that he can have company from being next door to my other two bunnies so can't be rearranged. The grass run gets moved regularly but he adapts fairly quickly to that change and has gotten used to using his nose to find scattered pellets.

My problem now is getting him to come when I need him to or to let him know that it's time to come in for his pellets & bed. He's still going strong so I'm trying to train him now before he develops other old age issues.

I started trying yesterday to get him to associate me stamping my foot four times with food and hopefully transition that to coming when wanted but I thought I'd ask if other members had run across similar issues and/or had ideas that could help.

Any ideas at all please? Even suggestions of what not to do would be helpful.

Can you get close to him? I was thinking perhaps touch but that could spook him. My deaf hamster always knows when I come in the room and comes out of his nest for food, so your idea of stamping may could work.

I've a completely deaf & almost blind bunny. when I saw the thread title & thought of her I thought "you can't"
but thinking a bit more I think I would try something really smelly -in a bunny tasty way. I'm thinking maybe basil, coriander or homemade fenugreek crunchies. Maybe attached to a fishing rod? I'm grateful mines inside, makes life easier. Good luck & let us know if anything works

One benefit of him being blind now is that I can fairly easily catch him now. Adding being deaf to that now is that pretty much any kind of touch (including that of food accidentally touching him) spooks him somewhat especially as I now can't tell him what I'm doing which is what we're both used to.

I guess what I'm trying to do is give him some predictability back.

Hi, I don't have experience with DB bunnies, but I do have lots with dogs. One of the things we do is to work really hard at startle training, so basically associating any touch with good stuff. Easiest way to do this is to simply get some really yummy, and preferably smelly, food and touch the animal followed immediately by food right under their nose. Initially I would do this at specific training times so that he quickly gets the idea, but then as the startle reduces you can start doing it randomly and in different places.
Then, if you can get to the point that touch is a good thing and not just a fright, you can teach specific touches as specific cues, so a tap to a shoulder means move that way, tap on the other shoulder means move the other way, tickle on both shoulders means pickinghim up etc - obviously work these out for yourself depending on what touches and strokes he likes - you don't want your cues to be anything like his normal strokes and fusses (hence the tap or tap-tap, much more distinct).
Worth a try to see if you can help him relax a bit more.