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Biting
Gerbils are not known for biting. Biting is a last defense for a scared gerbil. The difference between nipping and biting is if they break your skin or not.
Nipping on the other hand is a little more common. Gerbils often learn to nip. If when you pick up your gerbil, and they nip you, and your response is to put them back down, they will quickly learn that nipping you means they get put back down. They can also learn the behavior in other situations where they benefit from nipping you because you stop doing whatever it is that you’re doing.
Sometimes they will nibble on your hand because there is trace amounts of food, salt, or smells. Gerbils rely heavily on smell. Sometimes these bad behaviors are the results of fragrances, moisturizers, lotions, creams, hand sanitizers, soaps, or other smells that are on your hands. New smells or ones that smell like they might be edible to a gerbil are more likely to cause the gerbil to nip you.
A simple way to deter your gerbils from this behavior is to not reward them by giving them treats, petting them, or putting them back down. Continue to hold them in whatever way you were holding them for at least a minute. You can also lightly blow a puff of air in their face.
If your gerbil really is a biter, consider using gloves to handle the gerbil. The gloves will protect you, and since the gerbil can’t hurt you, they will soon learn that biting you will not deter you from picking them up. Eventually the behavior should stop altogether, and you will be able to handle the gerbil bare handed. This type of behavior is really only found in abused gerbils.