How often do gators eat? Not anywhere near as much as people would think! A large alligator can eat less in a year than a small dog, because they don’t produce their own body heat and they do not have nearly the same metabolic with requirements as a mammal does! That being said, if I offered food, they will eat every single day and become obese, they are always hungry! So no, we don’t feed them before working with them because it doesn’t matter, as I’ve said many times, I have watched alligator