Litter smells smoky?

[Gelly]

I use Hardwood Stove Pellets from Lowes. Here is a link to the specific ones I use:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/40-lb-Greene-Team-Platinum-Hardwood-Pellet-Fuel/50063465

Oddly, whenever I clean out my bun's litter box (every other day) it smells smoky, kind of like fire or a meat smoker. How weird is that? I was told these pellets are good for bunnies by a member on the forum but I'm getting a little nervous there's some chemical in it even though it says 100% natural.

Anyone have experience with this smell? The actual pellets don't smell at all.

 

[Gelly]

EXERPT FROM WEBSITE: Our pellets meet all the generally accepted requirements (100% virgin hardwoods, all natural, only food grade additives) that most people think of when they consider using a pellet to cook with. The lubricant we use is food-grade Soy Bean Oil. The pellets are made from 100% virgin hardwoods. The hardwoods we use are a blend of the common ones, such as Red Oak, White Oak, Maple, Hickory, Locust, etc. All our wood comes from virgin materials, meaning not construction debris. There are no added binders, they stick together and get the shiny look from the natural binder, lignin oil that is naturally present in wood. At this time, the FDA (or any other government agency) has not made any determination about the safety of cooking with wood pellets. In short, we have no “official” government approval to advertise our product for cooking purposes, therefore we don't brand or advertise our pellets as “cooking” pellets, but many people do use them with no issues because it meets all the criteria for a good cooking pellet. Thanks for your interest in Greene Team Pellets!

 

[JBun]

Maybe the trees the pellets were made from had been burnt in a forest fire or something, so the smell is now in the pellets. And you may only be able to smell it once the pellets have gotten wet from the urine. That's the only explanation I can think of.

 

[Gelly]

Maybe the trees the pellets were made from had been burnt in a forest fire or something, so the smell is now in the pellets. And you may only be able to smell it once the pellets have gotten wet from the urine. That's the only explanation I can think of.

Would you say it's still safe?