Is this normal

This morning my siblings and I found our salamander behind the dresser on the other side of the room from its tank. We don't know why he jumped out. Our water was tested about a week and a half ago and everything was fine, except the phosphate (which was very high). We did nearly a 100% water change and put some phos-zorb in the filter. He seemed to be doing better - until last night!!! We don't understand why he jumped out, if he wanted to get out of the water he could have gotten up on his dock. Anyway, we put him in plastic box with distilled water until we get this sorted out. We are new to salamanders and I suspect we are doing everything wrong. We have a 1/2 and 1/2 10gal. tank with 2 ghost shrimp, hang on filter,and no substrate. Any suggestions from more experienced people would be much appreciated!
Thanks

Any newt is a potential escape artist and should be housed in a setup with a secure lid.

First off, welcome to Caudata.org!

You won't want to keep your salamander in distilled water. This osmotic stress the animals endures from this can hurt the animal. Dechlorinated tap water or bottled drinking water should be fine. It should not be distilled or reverse osmosis as these don't have any minerals in them. Spring water is what you want.

As Ester says, all newts and salamanders are escape artists. A tight fitting lid is essential to keep these creatures.

We can't really give you suggestions for proper care until we know what species you have. Can you post a picture of the animal? Is it a local species or something you purchased at a pet store? If it is really a salamander as most people define it, you will need a land setup, if it is a newt you will need a water setup. Any information about the animal will help us give you care information. This is the right place to find information on giving your salamander the best care possible!

See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/escape.shtml

They will always escape if they can.
And don't use distilled water this will kill him.

Please read the care sheets!!!

Hi again! We are having camera problems, so it will be a while before we get that picture. From the pictures on the web though, we think it is a tiger salamander (it used to have gills, but those are gone). Thanks for the info on the distilled water; I had no idea it was bad for him.

Here is a picture of our salamander. Can someone tell us what kind it is?

You have a tiger salamander.

This salamander should be in a terrestial set-up, not 1/2 aquatic...they can drown. It needs substrate to burrow in...a dock will not work. The sal tried to escape probably due to stress. I would immediately change your set up to terrestial. Use topsoil without any chemicals or coco-fiber (Bed-A-Beast, etc) or a mix of both to a depth of around 4 inches or more. Give it some hides. Change the substrate every 4 to 8 weeks and spot clean for feces at least weekly. Most importantly, read the information sheet posted above.

I agree with Jan. For some setup ideas, see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups3.shtml

Thanks for the pictures. I have been looking everywhere for what a proper setup should look like.