yup they eat like there is no tomorrow
i had gar who wouldn't eat pellets and had fasted for a month
i moved him to a separate tank so that i can monitor his feeding and when i did not know better i used to bring 20-30 small platys as feeders and leave them there along with this tiny little gar (was 4"+) and in the morning the tank would be empty of feeders
now he is 8"ish and eats mainly pellets or dried shrimp