Pine pellets burning eyes?!

So I bought some kiln dried pine pellets made for a fire stove for my soon to be rabbit's litter box.. I opened the bag to let it air out for a few days as suggested and I noticed I began to have itchy eyes and at first thought it was pollen since in the area it's harvesting time so there's been lots of dust/pollen out and about.. But my boyfriend who also doesn't have allergies to anything was watching a movie with me and said his eyes were burning. My roommate Since taking the pine pellets outside I've noticed less itching and full-feeling within an hour. I'm SO glad I didn't put my bunny on these pellets. Poor girl would have been in even closer contact than across the living room... They were Lignetics douglas fir pellets annnd I guess this means I'll definitely be using paper-based pellets for her safety and mine!

I've never used wood stove pellets; I typically use Feline Pine. Sometimes there's a bit of a piney scent, but I've definitely never noticed anything irritating. That doesn't sound normal.

They also make aspen pellets. I dont use them for my bun but u could give it a try since aspen is a safe wood.

Is Good Mews a safe paper choice? I noticed the local safeway has them on sale in 40 pound bags for like $7..

I have never used pine pellets before, so I can't help you there. But I use Yesterday's News the feline kind. I absolutely love it and it is cheaper than the Petco brand of paper litter.

I bought some Good Mews unscented unclumping cat litter, 60# worth and got $6 off. I've used it before when I had rats for their litter and it worked well to soak up urine/odors. I figure I'll give it a shot since yesterday's news isn't sold in my area! They just have pet's preference which is $19 for 30 pounds locally.

When I first open a bag of wood pellets I do notice a saw dust smell and it does make my eyes a bit watery. So I just make sure I open the bag and let it air out a bit. I dump the pellets into a plastic bin and let it sit in the garage for a little while. Solves the problem, after that I don't notice a smell or any issues with my allergies.

I"ve never noticed any issues with my rabbit using them. No runny eyes or nose. I've been using them for about 6 years and no problems so far.

I was leaving it open to vent.. but since I live in an apartment that only has 4 total rooms including living room, bathroom, and the 2 bedrooms... Well, it's hard to escape the fumes from it. I think it was the brand, so I'll be using pelleted paper to be on the safe side.