Giant Pandas Xing Qiu and Yi Lan are settling into their new home at Adelaide Zoo's Bamboo Forest, after making their public debut earlier this week.

The pair enjoyed panda cake, apple and carrot at their official welcome ceremony, where they delighted onlookers as they explored their now outdoor habitat.

"Today was a very special moment for everyone here at Zoos SA," Zoos SA Chief Executive Elaine Bensted said.

"It marks the next chapter of our Giant Panda journey and honours the amazing cooperation between our organisation, state and federal governments, and our counterparts in China to continue the vital conservation work for this vulnerable species."

Xing Qiu (pronounced shing chee-y-ull), a male panda born in 2020, and Yi Lan (ee-lun), a female born in 2021, arrived in Adelaide before Christmas.

The pandas were transported directly to zoo, where they have been undertaking quarantine and getting used to their surroundings.

"It is an honour to be entrusted with the care of Giant Pandas and I can't wait for a new generation of visitors to learn more about their species, fall in love with Yi Lan and Xing Qiu and invest in their conservation and future," Ms Bensted said.

Director of Adelaide Zoo Dr Phil Ainsley said the pandas had adapted well to their new home.

"Thanks to the hard work by our dedicated keepers, both pandas have settled in incredibly well to Bamboo Forest," Mr Ainsley said.

"It’s been lovely to hear the stories of their different personalities; Yi Lan is very playful and loves to explore. She has already bonded to her keepers and thoroughly enjoys her new enrichment items.

"Meanwhile, Xing Qiu is quite relaxed and is very happy munching on bamboo shoots. He has an amazing appetite and a taste for our Adelaide-grown bamboo varieties, eating around 30kg a day."

Xing Qiu and Yi Lan are both young pandas and were chosen with not only their ability to adapt to the Adelaide environment in mind but also their suitability as a breeding pair when they are older.

Giant Pandas reach breeding maturity between four and seven years of age and can breed into their 20s. Female pandas ovulate only once a year in spring.

Adelaide Zoo’s former pandas Wang Wang and Fu-ni were a major visitor drawcard for 15 years, boosting zoo visitation by 150,000 people in their first year of arrival.