diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
index 9620a2dcec..e98dfe7c06 100755
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
@@ -3398,6 +3398,13 @@ void MyAvatar::setModelScale(float scale) {
     }
 }
 
+void MyAvatar::setSessionUUID(const QUuid& sessionUUID) {
+    Avatar::setSessionUUID(sessionUUID);
+
+    // transmit a "sendAll" packet to the AvatarMixer we just connected to.
+    sendAvatarDataPacket(true);
+}
+
 SpatialParentTree* MyAvatar::getParentTree() const {
     auto entityTreeRenderer = qApp->getEntities();
     EntityTreePointer entityTree = entityTreeRenderer ? entityTreeRenderer->getTree() : nullptr;
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
index 5ca010d128..c1e554cd1d 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
@@ -616,6 +616,7 @@ public slots:
     glm::quat getOrientationForAudio();
 
     virtual void setModelScale(float scale) override;
+    virtual void setSessionUUID(const QUuid& sessionUUID) override;
 
 signals:
     void audioListenerModeChanged();
diff --git a/libraries/avatars-renderer/src/avatars-renderer/SkeletonModel.cpp b/libraries/avatars-renderer/src/avatars-renderer/SkeletonModel.cpp
index b25df633c0..428f86f0ab 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars-renderer/src/avatars-renderer/SkeletonModel.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars-renderer/src/avatars-renderer/SkeletonModel.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,13 @@ void SkeletonModel::initJointStates() {
     glm::mat4 modelOffset = glm::scale(_scale) * glm::translate(_offset);
     _rig.initJointStates(geometry, modelOffset);
 
+    {
+        // initialize _jointData with proper values for default joints
+        QVector<JointData> defaultJointData;
+        _rig.copyJointsIntoJointData(defaultJointData);
+        _owningAvatar->setRawJointData(defaultJointData);
+    }
+
     // Determine the default eye position for avatar scale = 1.0
     int headJointIndex = geometry.headJointIndex;
     if (0 > headJointIndex || headJointIndex >= _rig.getJointStateCount()) {
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index 1bbc8cc1a5..77a3b39ec5 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -559,7 +559,8 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, quint64 lastSent
             const JointData& last = lastSentJointData[i];
 
             if (!data.rotationIsDefaultPose) {
-                if (sendAll || last.rotationIsDefaultPose || last.rotation != data.rotation) {
+                bool mustSend = sendAll || last.rotationIsDefaultPose;
+                if (mustSend || last.rotation != data.rotation) {
 
                     bool largeEnoughRotation = true;
                     if (cullSmallChanges) {
@@ -568,7 +569,7 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, quint64 lastSent
                         largeEnoughRotation = fabsf(glm::dot(last.rotation, data.rotation)) < minRotationDOT;
                     }
 
-                    if (sendAll || !cullSmallChanges || largeEnoughRotation) {
+                    if (mustSend || !cullSmallChanges || largeEnoughRotation) {
                         validity |= (1 << validityBit);
 #ifdef WANT_DEBUG
                         rotationSentCount++;
@@ -608,10 +609,12 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, quint64 lastSent
         float maxTranslationDimension = 0.0;
         for (int i = 0; i < _jointData.size(); i++) {
             const JointData& data = _jointData[i];
+            const JointData& last = lastSentJointData[i];
 
             if (!data.translationIsDefaultPose) {
-                if (sendAll || lastSentJointData[i].translation != data.translation) {
-                    if (sendAll || !cullSmallChanges || glm::distance(data.translation, lastSentJointData[i].translation) > minTranslation) {
+                bool mustSend = sendAll || last.translationIsDefaultPose;
+                if (mustSend || last.translation != data.translation) {
+                    if (mustSend || !cullSmallChanges || glm::distance(data.translation, lastSentJointData[i].translation) > minTranslation) {
                         validity |= (1 << validityBit);
 #ifdef WANT_DEBUG
                         translationSentCount++;
@@ -669,6 +672,19 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(AvatarDataDetail dataDetail, quint64 lastSent
         }
 
         if (sentJointDataOut) {
+
+            // Mark default poses in lastSentJointData, so when they become non-default we send them.
+            for (int i = 0; i < _jointData.size(); i++) {
+                const JointData& data = _jointData[i];
+                JointData& local = localSentJointDataOut[i];
+                if (data.rotationIsDefaultPose) {
+                    local.rotationIsDefaultPose = true;
+                }
+                if (data.translationIsDefaultPose) {
+                    local.translationIsDefaultPose = true;
+                }
+            }
+
             // Push new sent joint data to sentJointDataOut
             sentJointDataOut->swap(localSentJointDataOut);
         }
@@ -1816,13 +1832,13 @@ void AvatarData::setJointMappingsFromNetworkReply() {
     networkReply->deleteLater();
 }
 
-void AvatarData::sendAvatarDataPacket() {
+void AvatarData::sendAvatarDataPacket(bool sendAll) {
     auto nodeList = DependencyManager::get<NodeList>();
 
     // about 2% of the time, we send a full update (meaning, we transmit all the joint data), even if nothing has changed.
     // this is to guard against a joint moving once, the packet getting lost, and the joint never moving again.
 
-    bool cullSmallData = (randFloat() < AVATAR_SEND_FULL_UPDATE_RATIO);
+    bool cullSmallData = !sendAll && (randFloat() < AVATAR_SEND_FULL_UPDATE_RATIO);
     auto dataDetail = cullSmallData ? SendAllData : CullSmallData;
     QByteArray avatarByteArray = toByteArrayStateful(dataDetail);
 
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index e927120b07..7c188019db 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -256,6 +256,11 @@ namespace AvatarDataPacket {
         SixByteQuat rotation[numValidRotations];               // encodeded and compressed by packOrientationQuatToSixBytes()
         uint8_t translationValidityBits[ceil(numJoints / 8)];  // one bit per joint, if true then a compressed translation follows.
         SixByteTrans translation[numValidTranslations];        // encodeded and compressed by packFloatVec3ToSignedTwoByteFixed()
+
+        SixByteQuat leftHandControllerRotation;
+        SixByteTrans leftHandControllerTranslation;
+        SixByteQuat rightHandControllerRotation;
+        SixByteTrans rightHandControllerTranslation;
     };
     */
     size_t maxJointDataSize(size_t numJoints);
@@ -707,11 +712,11 @@ signals:
     void sessionUUIDChanged();
 
 public slots:
-    void sendAvatarDataPacket();
+    void sendAvatarDataPacket(bool sendAll = false);
     void sendIdentityPacket();
 
     void setJointMappingsFromNetworkReply();
-    void setSessionUUID(const QUuid& sessionUUID) {
+    virtual void setSessionUUID(const QUuid& sessionUUID) {
         if (sessionUUID != getID()) {
             if (sessionUUID == QUuid()) {
                 setID(AVATAR_SELF_ID);