dpends on what kind of gar your dealing with...i have had experience feeding meaty dead foods to true gars after a bit of provocation, whereas i have attempted to starve my royals and clown knives into taking dead bait but with little success. Feeders are a pain because they are very narrow in nutritional value. Also, many feeders are sick or infected with anchoworm or various parasites, so this poses a potential threat to the entire system. A varied diet is the best way for health and preemptive disease defense, so try to starve the fish a bit and then get them to accept some healthier and varied foods, if at all possible.