Bao Bao, the giant panda cub in Washington, will make her public debut January 18, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

"But if the cub chooses to go back into the den, or if mom chooses to take her back into the den, we won't force her to be out on display," Smith said.

In recent months, Bao Bao has become more active, moving around on her own and exploring the environment. Now she's working on climbing, but some rocks are still too big.

During a tour of the zoo in December, actor Hugh Jackman was allowed to peek inside the panda house and found Bao Bao in full view. He posted a picture on Instagram.

Bao Bao has turned out to be calm and relaxed, more subdued than older brother Tai Shan, said biologist Laurie Thompson, who has worked with the pandas for years.

"Tai Shan was a little more vocal when we did things like weigh him, where she seems kind of relaxed about it," she said. "She's like her dad. Tian Tian is very relaxed and kind of goes with the flow. So I'm thinking she got that from him."

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