Socializing Young Degus

I recently adopted 2 young degus. They are not even both full-grown yet, and are both males. I have been trying to socialize them but I keep getting bitten whenever I pick them up... and of course it hurts with those sharp little rodent teeth! I have tried picking them up with a cloth and even a glove but they manage to bite through those, too! I do not like getting bitten- but how do I get them accustomed to being nice?
They are somewhat friendly. Both of them will take food from my hand and when I put my hand in their cage just to feed them or change their water, they do run up to me and smell me. But when I try to touch them or pet them they run away.
They sing and chirp and I try to talk to them a lot along with spending some of my free time in front of their cage talking to them and letting them sniff my hands.