PHOTOS: On Halloweekend, National Zoo panda cub plays with a pumpkin, discovers 'playpen'

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The pandas at the National Zoo had some pumpkin-y fun on Halloween, according to the National Zoo's latest panda update.

"On Saturday, our giant panda family got into the Halloween spirit, thanks to the talented team in our Department of Nutrition Sciences," the update, released Monday, says. "They whipped up some not-so-spooky 'snack-o-lantern' treats for male Tian Tian and female Mei Xiang made of shredded carrots, applesauce and diluted apple juice pressed into a pumpkin using a Jack-O-Lantern-shaped mold. Keepers presented our 10-week-old cub with a pumpkin as well. Many of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s animals receive pumpkins as a fun enrichment item on Halloween because it gives them something new to smell, touch and investigate."

Also new this weekend, zookeepers saw Mei Xiang bring the cub out of the den and carry him onto the lower section of the rockwork in their enclosure.

"There is a flat area in the rockwork that is cozy and keeps the cub contained—our team refers to this space as 'the playpen,'" the update says. "Mei Xiang sat here with her previous cubs, too, when they were around this cub’s age. They spent about an hour and 40 minutes in this spot, and after the cub nursed, they both fell asleep there."

Scroll through more pictures in the gallery above.